“It will surprise you, perhaps, when I tell you that we fish on dry land at Churchill. That is a fact, nevertheless. The natives of Churchill, both Indians and Eskimos, and also the white men, set their nets on dry land. They set their nets, which are about fifteen feet long, with three upright posts placed vertically on the shore. When they have set them they simply wait for the tide to come in, and when it has come in they simply wait until it has gone out, and there are their fish all ready to be taken out without any trouble. The catch consists chiefly of whitefish, salmon trout, and pickerel, all of good quality. “When the Hudson bay route is completed, one of the best fishing trades in the world will be opened up. There are five lakes, in all, in the district, all full of fish, and the farthest teaming which is necessary would be about forty miles. On lake Winnipeg at the present time, fish are hauled a distance of one hundred and forty miles, and they are teamed into Edmonton from Lesser Slave lake, a distance of one hundred and seventy-five miles and made to pay. The salmon of the north averages from four to ten pounds in weight, and is of good quality; the whitefish is not so large as that of Lake Winnipeg, but it is of fine flavor, and very firm. The caplin, a small fish resembling the sardine, is found in such quantities at some seasons of the year that they are left in thousands upon the shore when the tide goes out. Fishing usually commences at the latter part of June and finishes at the end of August.” [Illustration: NORTHERN SASKATCHEWAN] CHAPTER VI. NORTHERN SASKATCHEWAN. Agriculture and Arable Land. An Early Scientific Explorer’s Enthusiastic Description of Part of the Country.—“Capable of Any Extent of Cultivation.”—An Old Hudson’s Bay Company’s Official Who Considered it “A Splendid Country to Settle in.”—Mr. Crean Reports That “It is no Experiment” to Raise Wheat in North Saskatchewan.—Missionary Farmers and Their Accomplishments.—Capable of Supporting “A Dense, Thriving Population.”—“A Splendid Ranching Country.”— Heaviest Rains Just When they are Needed. To obtain a correct idea of the resources of that part of the province of Saskatchewan north of North Saskatchewan river, one has to consider that great extent of territory as consisting of two very distinct areas, one to the south, the other to the north of Churchill river. While the area to the south of the Churchill is a well-wooded, park-like country, with great agricultural possibilities, the soil of the region north of that river, so far as explorations up to this time have shown, is mainly sandy and sterile.