The west shore., May 01, 1889, Page 233, Image 7

THE WE8T SHORE. 033
very extensive investment! for development, but com. j ing land on Stave river, thirty mile, cut of Vaucou.
mendable progress is now being made and the indi. ! ver and eight miles north of the railroad, has recent
cations point to a most prosperous future for that 1 ly come into public notice. It is lightly timbered and
whole country. The introduction of Bmelters to treat the soil is very productive. There will always bo a
the ores is a very important move for the mining in. ; ready market for all the agricultural products that can
teresta. j be rained. Tho demaud for fruit from tho northwc.l
Comparatively little is heard of the agriculture of ! provinces will make orcharding an especially profita
British Columbia, and many people will be surprised ble business in British Columbia,
to learn that there is anything done in that line in Except a strip of country twenty miles on cither
the province. It is true that, as a whole, it can side of tho railway, which was granted tho dominion
scarcely be called an agricultural country. Too much for the railroad, the publio lauds Mong to tho pro
of the surface consists of mountains to make it a pop. vincial government, Uoth thoso of tho province and
ular farming region. Still, there are many valleys ' of tho dominion may beobtaiued by settlers ou much
admirably suited to cultivation, and the delta of tho the samo terms as in tho United Htatea. Laud may
Fraser river is as fine farming land as could be do- bo bought from tho government for f J r() an aero, or
sired. All the usual crops are grown in great abun- for a less amount in consideration of residence uMn
dance. These lands are only about four or five miles it. But a small per cent of tho total area is yet sot
south of the city of Vancouver, so there is no trouble tied or taken for timber or minerals. There are many
about getting to a good market The capacity of goal locations unimproved,
these lands for the production of ordinary vegetables, Theclimato of tho country west of tho CWado
grain, hay and fruit, seems almost unlimited. Tho mountains is much milder than that of sections in tho
alluvial soil along the Fraser and its tributaries, the same latitudo in tho interior. Tho government signal
Sumas and Pitt rivers, is cultivated, and there are a station at New Westminster, only twelve miles from
number of prosperous farm settlements on both sides Vancouver, shows a mean annual temperature of
of the rivers. It is estimated that there are a thou- forty-eigut degree, the averaK for Jauuary Ixdng
sand square miles of choice agricultural land in the thirty-four and July sixty-thro. d.-gree. alxvo wo.
southern part of the province, and hundreds of thou- Tho mean annual rainfall is lifty-cight inches, the
sands of acres in the Fraser, Bpalumcbeen, Salmon, winter having twenty-threo and tho summer live
Kootenay,OknanoganandColumbiadiBtricts,thatmay inches, and spring and fall almat equal amounts,
be utilized for cultivation and grazing purposes. In Not much snow fall, in tho wintrr time, it I n : more
some places irrigation will be necessary to render tho of a wet.rnson than a cold one. Ik. Ar.Udo no
soil fertile, but the larger portion will yield abundant lose their green and flower, frequ,,, ly 1 , Un !
crops without artificial watering. The bench land, winter. No dua.trou. .form, occur I. ho .
;! wv wi j ...,i frtr fmmni? mi d and eiiuablo climatu thnt charactrri.". tho whole
in the higher altitudes are unsurpassed lor gracing. 1 ,...., . . , i,,..!,!,,,)
11 ii. il f ii r . in 4, vullev. i'ac fio coast, and it is delightful anl braUblul.
Along the south arm of the Iras r and in the ul . j ,
0 the interior, apples, pears, plums peaches ch - , II I $
nes, strawberries, gooseberrks and other sma g J J,,,
are grown, and in quality and quantity are un xcelle 1
A large portion of the land in the valleys tha co U- , J
ute the farming areas is prairie or very scant! ly Urn- . I J lo
bored. These are not great treeless tracts, but sma 1 inUigPljt mJ f Ijtr.
openings convenient to both wood and water, u U,j t,, utj!jIrt th Unrfita that ll around
course, the choicest locations are the first taken, ami k. . $ M q
ubsequently settlers push back on tho less idigiblo " fm uforc A km,f boainras
lands and make farms there. The conduction or U) ri,lirlBR (-tMty (ban evrr More,
proposed railroad lines through tho southern part i Jjlj(.DomrJll Krotb t)14
tho province will open communication to sectiou. ()CC1W4 a that city, it U rntirrly sf It
cooHidered too remote for successful Hettl.-rnent, act UaI1C(.,JJ(.nt this yr wall far newd IU past
iH famish an attractive field for tiller, of tl
A tract of forty or fifty thousand acres of fine farm-