23

the contribution that the farm made toward the operator’s living. The non-
commercial farm operators either earned more off the farm than they produced
on the farm (part-time type) or they operated in such a manner that nearly all
living came directly from the farm (subsistence type). The operators of com-
mercial farms depended mainly on sales of farm products for income. Seven
main types were recognised, crop, livestock, mixed crop-livestock, whole milk,
poultry, vegetable seed and forage crop seed. The crop farms grew grain and
hay which they marketed directly. Most farmers, however, had found that crops
could be most advantageously marketed through livestock. Therefore, about
one-half of the farms were of the livestock and mixed grain-livestock types.
The remainder were farms that specialized in one enterprise. There were also a
few farms that were classified as off type. For the most part they were of the
mixed crop-livestock type except that the operators had undertaken a semi-
farm enterprise, for example custom work, to such an extent that it had become
the major source of income. °

LAND UTILIZATION

The fact that grass occupied one third to three fourths of the improved land
was the outstanding characteristic of the land use pattern. The Vanderhoof
district, however, differed quite markedly from the others. That district pro-
duced most of the surplus grain of the area. This was reflected in land use since
33 per cent of the land was used for oats as compared with 19 and 11 per cent,
respectively, in the Prince George and Smithers districts (Table 13). The
reverse was true with regard to tame hay and pasture. Only 28 per cent of the
land at Vanderhoof was in grass while 60 and 68 per cent of the land at Prince
George and Smithers, respectively, was in grass. Summerfallowing was not
generally practised except at Vanderhoof where 23 per cent of the land lay in
fallow.

TABLE 13—LAND UTILIZATION IN THE PRINCE GEORGE-SMITHERS AREA, 1943-45

oe ae Te _ | Smithers-
Land Use ee Eres Y ender r rengois
sake
AEE | |
| Acres
MENDLOVeECIACreAreINemLarunimien cea Lcrenvels sai) q ee isi bh reese teyeinaere ols 45 84 | 104
Percentage
Proportion of improved acres in— |
Wil esa tate rataee rcictnnn pape rcp igs seater nga inte Metco aa RR Sree | 6 ] 5
OLKE Ea Lp Sou tlnae «CARE Rd hE oo au EROS PEs ibon aioe omun as meee 19 33 11
TRB OU ies gat aac Anca tae PON Senate bon manta bipembanr komad | _2 | 4 3
PRISTROVOULC] Omeln Oli SCE nse ae reine tara pea wat Ree cnet oe eae teats | 6 | 4 2
(GUE ASoi {oy ei mtoo Ce Lge ee ne eA orem ein c aanna cake Darncan 1 | 1 7
AVA MALTA lest Sona BaD BheneD sAemcaceccsnn cess ACGME 60 | 28 68
QO terete ice saci wan tare dan on ponent ere 1 | 1 3
SUMmMeErt allo wacer emis mimes aleted ah itera we 2 23 1
IS{qSclin aoe HASG DB owe CRG Un Ue COL SARE BSDUS Uae GpaDaqd a asaab oo otE | 3 1 1
LOO Sean jute nel OO) eee 00.

In growing wheat the farmers of the area were confronted with the problem
of a short growing season. That probably accounted for the fact that the wheat
crop only averaged two to five acres per farm. Barley acreage was even less
for though it fits into a short growing season barley does not yield particularly
well on these soil types. :

The acreage of grass and alsike for seed production amounted to only a few
acres per farm. Where timothy is the seed crop the acreage can vary consider-
ably from year to year because when the season is dry and the prospects for a

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