The average frost-free period for the Peace Riv (omitting the short record at Goodfare) is about 8 or 10 to 12 days better than the up to Great Slave Lake. At Beaverlodge the standard deviation is over 26 days or more than 28 per cent. A record of only 17 years at Slave Lake (east end of Lesser Slave) gives only 20 Per cent as coefficient of variability, It appears that wheat may be grown with some degree of er area 2 days, Yukon and the Mackenzie success here; perhaps 85 to 95 days is needed with only 20 to 30 per cent variability-coefiicient. This would, of course, still leave a few bad years when the negative departure was 40 per cent or more. In 24 years at Beaverlodge 3 years have exceeded this variation and 2 were negative. Thus one year in twelve was really poor. It is evident that all places in the Peace River area are not so well-favoured. Frosts in July have occurred at nearly all stations. Dates in Year—Days Ran sare tae Janice -Year—Day 1 Feb. 1.....Year-Day 32 Dec. 31... ..Year—Day 365 ; Last Frost of Spring First Frost of Autumn Average Station — Frost-Free Earliest Latest Average | Earliest Latest Average Period ; Days Days Days Days Days Days Days | Fort Smith BOR PER TE aoan tg 5 otirer anor Ace ac i ems aa sce, 144 193 171 198 266 227 56 HOnE CD pew yar 6 ee daria tegen, based leet eet etme 131 182 161 201 261 235 74 MMcMiirayoe on sont ne hoe, 1h wen ee 152 193 167 199 253 233 66 Hort SV enmilion Ate: Athos pee er Ac altar tty Saatic ine 138 196 163 201 267 231 68 Peace River’ Crossing: cane eee dy ne ee ee 109 188 152 204 274 245 93 Wabsscas eas 0b epee ea dpe 1 eee 122 167 145 199 276 256 lll Buffalo Head Prairie (On plateau east of Fort Wermilion): a5. .en 148 186 167 207 251 234 67 At Fort Vermilion the standard deviation of the frost- free period is 262 days or nearly 39 per cent coefficient of variability. The period was as low as 5 days in 1912 and 6 days in 1918 but was 104 days in 1923 and 119 days in 1938. Buffalo Head Prairie, at a higher elevation, has only 7 years’ record but seems to differ little from Fort Vermilion. Fond du Lac, at the east end of Lake Athabaska, averages 89 days over 33 years and no doubt this may be attributed to the close proximity to the water. Comparison may be made of these figures with marginal stations of the present area of the wheat-belt in Saskatchewan and Manitoba. At Lac la Ronge the standard deviation is 24 days; at Scott Experimental Farm (average frost-free period 83 days) 19 days; at Edmonton (average frost-free period 98 days) 18% days. The standard deviation generally increases moving north, while the average length of the frost-free period diminishes. Therefore, the coefficient of variability becomes large beyond the presently marginal lands. It appears, therefore, that the northern lands need a specialized type of activity if any sort of agriculture is to be attempted. Intensive agriculture appears to be unlikely to have success in the long run. But a culture which used a wide area of land, with only moderate use of a unit area, might pay. Nothing adversely affected by light frosts or easily destroyed Average by a sharp June or August frost could be attempted. The Place Brod tee flora which have survived in this region over a long period Esto of years should provide local indicators of any persistently yf p p Pays advantageous area. If these persistently surviving flora BrOoksh ye tears iter act em aaa ag ene Vee 5 ; - Gumberlandebiouse gee cens ike monroe eeeean Gea a 111 have any commercial or fodder value, they might form the Plumboldta- tree caeper eri cree U ie eet 94 basis of a system of development. Perhaps an example fee hanes Eeeh Se ae eT ios from the interior of British Columbia will illustrate this inlaw tc whi AORN cite ees ho ae aoe ae 94 point. On high mountain meadows, or in the high passes Mloy Gmiinsten saree CMe le ta ens RUE eS where frosts are common and precipitation deficient, there ISOBEIRS VER nett oni raring cre ree me ben ees cease 94 : Donic pra tect te Sen scene ciel oe eee enh pec oA 91 are areas of self-curing grasses. These grasses come to Pu eae ee ee life rapidly in the path of melting snows, grow a short Rab bitslea kes snes enc tee tres Ars ye Ga Cele NTR Re 40 straw, and when the desiccation of the summer hot, dry eee le | eosin fasted lone enongn cane ee a Dwitchekann see trc. es ences Sc dk Mca aes, eae ane aR 67 soil moisture, they then turn yellow, throw up seed-heads, Balan, Halla (Ne eee es een 2 and lapse into a dormant state, slowly becoming cured hay. lielevatel iets (NGS AD) Some co omenadaun aba Goods ae, 70 $ : Loonwake ss stot noite eMart io rien bene eels eras 47 The hay, which should not be mistaken for the marsh IO ae er eee yee variety, is said to be nutritious for cattle and sheep, and Meadow Rivera sind Sanpete, iain direc cuen Simian eile 6 : : aaa Omioniake Pee are pias eeeinl cscs Weg See hee napa E 77 in some cases is harvested and stored. Perhaps similar Bonpaie ad Be ciod ee Wake terse ea cr aia eee i florae exist in some areas of the far north. Their presence IprIncepAllberteNationalt Parketasss == ln eens eeeeieiueas 74 apres : Blip lone seein nt omega cone ene Sande ae ee 118 would indicate areas of suitable soil and exposure. Such Churchill SGn fmy eGh Leda talc Saray utleuaValteveLaieltsto:oshehatevercsspesauait citern fears sen plants are seldom obvious during a quick survey, but Pas Aes eae Mig ea Dire Beta ba A 56 become known in time to settlers, even when they make WOK IBAGt OLY Seer tern chr ianc ee oe te eC 79 { 154 } no use of them.