uting its fertile properties to wind-blown volcanic dust
mingled with original lake deposit. The soil of this
vicinity is certainly of excellent texture and carries more
vegetable matter than Nechako silts and a certain amount
of clay. Soil throughout the region varies from light
sandy loam on benches, slopes, and hillsides to heavy dark
loam in bottoms, and heavy growth of peavine in opens
and in open timber indicates great fertility. In addition
to those surveyed, other areas are known where arable
tracts occur.

The first farming done in British Columbia was at Fort
St. James, where Daniel Harmon cultivated the soil in
1812. For many decades cultivation near the trading-
post, on the farm of the R.C. Mission a mile away, and in
Indian gardens procured good crops. A. C. Murray, who
has a farm near the fort, was factor forty years. He says
timothy, red and white clover do well, hay yields 2 tons
per acre, barley, oats, vegetables, and small bush-fruits do

very well. R. P. Bishop, reporting on surveys near Stuart
Lake, said: ‘‘ Potatoes do very well in silt around the
lake; | heard astonishing accounts of size and weight.

Excellent vegetables are procurable from Indians of Tachie,
Trembleur, and Grand Rapids villages.’”” W. Fleet Robert-
son, reporting in 1909, said vegetables and root-crops and
small fruits have grown successfully for years at H.B. post
and R.C. Mission, where barley, rye, and oats were well
cultivated. Dr. G. M. Dawson, 1876, told of fine cab-
bages, cauliflowers, turnips, beets, carrots, and onions
being grown from seed in open air without forcing, and
barley and potatoes grown on large scale for use at the
fort. He said that in Stuart and Babine Valleys the sum-
mer season seems sufficiently long and the absolute
amount of heat enough to bring all ordinary crops, in-
cluding wheat, to maturity.

NORTH OF NECHAKO VALLEY.

To north of Nechako Valley undulating plateau, broken
by hills and ridges, slopes to the slight divide between
Nechako and Stuart; average elevation 2,900 feet, lightly
timbered with jack-pine and some poplar, with numerous
meadows to 100 acres. Slope is easterly from southerly
part of a hill-range east of Sutherland Valley, with Grizzly
Mountain, 3,000 feet, highest point. Majority of hills in
this part reach about 1,000 feet above general surface,
some 2,000 feet. Similar country slopes from hills rising
600 to 800 feet above Fraser Lake to the north, with roll-
ing slopes merging into rolling plateau northward, covered
with jack-pine and poplar and broken by hills and stony
ridges rising to a low summit between Sutherland River
and Ormonde Creek and Lake. A short distance west of
a trail from Fraser Lake Road via Ormonde and Peto Lakes
and Sutherland Valley to Babine Lake, the country be-
comes broken by ridges and hills, increasing in height

8