The Unexploited West: A Compilation of all of the authentic information available at the present time as to the Natural Resources of the Unexploited Regions of Northern CanadaChambers, Ernest J.
History
The Unexploited West: A Compilation of all of the authentic information available at the present time as to the Natural Resources of the Unexploited Regions of Northern Canada
Chambers, Ernest J.
Canada -- Economic conditions; Northwest, Canadian -- Economic conditions
As to agriculture, actual and possible, in Green lake district, Mr.
Crean reports:—“At and around the Hudson’s Bay Company’s post on the
north end of Green lake there is a considerable settlement of
half-breeds. A Roman Catholic mission is established here. Revillon
Frères have also a post. The priest has a good garden having all kinds
of vegetables, and also a small fruit garden growing currants,
gooseberries, raspberries and strawberries. These all thrive and mature.
Green lake is important as a stopping place for freighters in winter and
consequently large quantities of hay are stacked. Some oats and barley
are grown but no real effort has been made to farm. Father Teston of the
mission says that he has grown oats and barley for fifteen years in
succession and so far has not had a failure. I interviewed a native
named Morin, who said that he had grown potatoes, oats and barley in
small quantities for thirty-five years and could not recall having ever
had a failure. He has never kept a record of when he sowed or when he
harvested, neither has the Reverend Father. Morin owns thirty-five head
of cattle and twelve head of horses. He has sown wheat on six or seven
occasions and it always ripened. In his opinion there is no doubt that
wheat could be raised anywhere in the locality. The ice in Green lake
goes out early and it is generally very late before it freezes. The
summers are always warm and there is ample rain. The gardens, which I
saw here, were certainly fine although they were not cared for as they
should have been. Weeds were allowed to grow in profusion.”
In his report of his explorations in 1909 along the west side of Green
lake, Mr. Crean wrote:—“The crops were not very far advanced when I was
there, nor indeed did any resident sow grain to any extent. There was a
small field of oats, a small field of barley and the usual gardens. The
gardens, as is customary in the fur country, are neglected; but yet the
vegetables seem to grow in profusion. Lettuce and radishes in fourteen
days grow from the seed to a size fit for table use. On Sunday, July 14,
I saw some radishes one and one-half inches in diameter, fourteen days’
growth.”
MEADOW LAKE DISTRICT.
[Illustration: Oat field at Meadow lake.]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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