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TABLE 1.—ARABILITY OF THE PRINCE GEORGE-SMITHERS AREA
FROM SOIL SURVEY REPORTS

Soils Soils
— suitable for not suitable Total
Settlement for Settlement

Acres percent | Acres percent | Acres percent

PATA lesmteeterarn ers siclstse he rarciavotsieisisvels wiehsteraeicanels crs 832, 462 Chis ras dase owe +...| 832,462 39

BNOM-ALAObecteeesey netsyel rare aletarereer slay seiavete eles e isi eraey 77,706 9 | 1,207,446 100} 1,285,152 61
EROGAL erat avr eeseis eclosion aor 910, 168 100 | 1,207,446 100 | 2,117,614 100

The total area of farms in the study amounted to 83,231 acres of which
approximately one-quarter (20,925 acres) was improved land. ‘The operators of
these farms estimated the total arable acreage in their farms to be two-thirds of
the total area. The difference between the two-thirds and nine-tenths arability
estimates is probably accounted for by the fact that while nearly all the farms
were predominantly on the soils classified as suitable for settlement, nevertheless,
in many cases the farm boundaries extended into the poor soil types.

The Census of 1941 found the total area in farms! to be 324,235 acres, with
21 per cent (68,115 acres) of improved land. Assuming the ratio of two-thirds
arability, then, existing farms can be expanded to 216,000 improved acres.
That is, it would be possible to increase the area of improved land in farms
threefold.

It is evident, too, that there is a possibility of expanding the number of
farms in the area as well as the area of existing farms. Twelve hundred farms?
now occupy 216,000 arable acres. If-216,000 acres is subtracted from the 832,000
acres shown by the soil survey to be arable then the remainder, 616,000 acres,
is land not in farms but in soil types suitable for settlement. This area, allotted

A good barn partly constructed of logs and mortar.

1 British Columbia, Census of Agriculture. Eighth Census of Canada, 1941. Census Sub divisions
8A, SE, 8F
Z

Thid.