“With regard to soil conditions, drainage is the great necessity everywhere. To render the soil fertile for cropping, the heavy stiff boulder clay must be opened up to the action of the air. Probably the use of a subsoil plough might obviate the necessity for underdrainage over large areas. But however secured, aëration is necessary to change the present cold, dead, impervious soil to a warm, porous, friable one, full of bacterial life, available plant food, and resulting fertility. The soil is exactly similar to that around Cochrane in New Ontario, which yields such large returns under right treatment.” Mr. Dickson says in his report:—“The climate and the soil conditions are the two basic factors which determine farming value. Where frequent or recent fires have not resulted in the formation of purely ‘temporary’ or ‘fire types’—as e.g., young jackpine on heavy clay—a study of the existing flora answers many questions as to the climate and the soil. On well-drained spots as far north as Split lake the flora is almost identical with that of similar sites in Riding mountains of Manitoba, proving that during the growing season these localities lie under one and the same isotherm, or nearly so, And yet Riding mountains are nearly four hundred miles southwest of Split lake. Two other factors which help vegetation in this northern clay belt are the low absolute elevation—only five hundred to seven hundred feet—and the large proportion of sunlight during the growing season, because of the long day. No doubt also the large proportion of the country covered by water has a tendency to prevent late spring and early fall frosts. In the absence of weather records, it is impossible to say whether the summer of 1910 was an average season or not, but certainly it was favourable for farming operations. There were showers every week and the growth of the native vegetation WAS AMAZINGLY RAPID.