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clear and break raw land. In other words, in the eyes of many farmers the
probable net income was not sufficient to warrant the cost of preparing forested
land for cropping if they had an opportunity to purchase improved land. There
was further evidence, too, that consolidation of farms had taken place for a
fairly large number of abandoned buildings were noted throughout the area.
The land was not idle but had been added to other farms.

Land settlement which has to work itself out in this manner must involve
considerable hardships and loss to those who eventually are forced out. Worse
still, if better opportunities for employment are not readily available the situation
may not begin to correct itself for an extended period of time. At best when
adjustments take place many will have spent several years improving forested
land and will have received little for their labour. It would seem that the pos-
sibility of such occurences should be recognised when land policy is formed.

Abandoned buildings

Land Selected

Land in farms was for the most part predominantly of the soil types classified
as arable by the soil scientists. Only ten per cent of the operators were on farms
where the inferior coarse and gravelly-textured soils predominated. Approxi-
mately 63 per cent of the farms (89 per cent in the Prince George-Vanderhoof
districts, 24 per cent in the Smithers-Francois Lake districts) were on either a
silt loam or clay, generally conceded to be the most productive soils of the area.

Tenure

EKighty-two per cent of the farms studied were fully owner operated, 12 per
cent were partly owned and partly rented and six per cent were fully rented
(Table 10). A high incidence of ownership is often associated with the earlier
stages of development of an area or with the poorer grades of land. Both reasons
probably apply in this area; the former because one-half of the farms were still
occupied by their first owners; the latter because few if any of the parcels turned
over had attracted buyers who purchased because they thought the land was
a good investment.