The Minneapolis journal., 1904-04-15
Enanial 70 The Journal.


fully rich agricultural region. beauti-
full, to- look upon and blessed with a
delightful climate.
Enthusiasts have told US how, after
the empire that stretches from Winn1-
peg to- Edmonton, 500 miles as the
crow flies, had been filed with peo-
ple. there would be still beyond them,
north and west, room for millions
more.
The Grand Trunks new transconti-
mental line IS to bisect this region,
and it was counted one Of the
great potential assets Of the new line
which is to reach from the maritime
provinces clear across the Dominion
to the waters Of the Pacific, taking
a.wav from the Canadian Pacific the
boast Of being the longest continu-
Gus railway line on the continent.
Now comes James M. Macoun OF the
Canadian geological survey and de-
clares that, for all present purposes,
agriculturally speaking, the Peace
River country Is worthless.
Mr. Macoun was sent out last April
by the geological survey for the pur-
pose Of making report on the coun-
try He travelled over 1t with a pack
train until September, making careful
Investigations and examining the set
tiers as to their experiences.
Where It Is.
The Peace river Is a. stream some
1,4OO miles long that rises In the noun
tains of British Columbia in about
latitude Sc degrees north and flows
northeast, it's waters eventually join
ing those Of the Mackenzie.
The term peace River country" is
generally applied to the region along
the river west Of Lesser Slave lake
and between the hfty-ffth and fifty
seventh parallels.
Peace River Landing, which Is in
the heart Of this country, is about 200
miles northwest Of Edmonton, the
nearest railway point. 1t is to this
region that Mr.. Macoun's report espe-
cially relates.
Farther down the river-that is, to
the north, where the country Is lower
the conditions are better adapted
to wheat-raising, but is not now avail
able for settlement because Of lack Of
transportation, great distances from
market, etc. In brief, the following
Is Mr.. Macoun's verdict on the Peace
River country:
Mr.. Macoun's Verdict.
After a perusa1 Of all published reports
In the Peace River country, an examina-
ton of almost every Of cultivated
land in that region, and a careful study
Of the natural vegetation. soil and climate
conditions. I have been forced to the con-
clusion that, notwithstanding the luxuriant
where, the upper Peace river country, to
which many eyes are now turned, will
never be a county in which wheat can
be grown successfully. That this grain
will mature occasionally there is no
doubt, but that 1t will ever become the
staple product of any considerable area,
do not believe. The fact must never be
lost sight Of that there have been very
few attempts to grow grain except in the
river valley and that when these at
fnf Nfc hay hnn In 41o,x L<,y1 -
always failed. Without any exception,
every report on the productiveness of the
soil and the suitability Of the climate for
the growth of cereals refers to the river
valley. not one Of those who have stated
that the whole Peace river region was
suited to the growth Of wheat having any
other ground for that belief than the evil
dences afforded by crops grown in the
valley. There is, however, abun-
dant evidence that In many years there
are severe frOsts in June, July and August
frosts which, If they do not entirely de-
stroy the growing crops render wheat
unfit for f1our-making purposes.
What has been said Of wheat applies In
less degree to barley and oats. These
grains, however generally ripen earlier
especially barley. and it is probable that In
most years barley would mature.
Not Much Prairie.
Tho, all told, there is not more than
million acres Of prairie in the entire
region, Mr.. Macoun thinks it may
make a good stock country. The
country is largely burnt-over, and
there is not much standing timber Of
commercial value. A man can live
by agriculture in this country and ac-
quire property, but it is not an agri-
cultural country in the sense that
Assiniboia, Saskatchewan and Alberta
are. -
Mr.. Macoun has been harshly crit
icized for his report, but he stands by
1t and asserts that it is folly to attem pt
to bolster up a doubtful region while
there are hundreds of millions of
acres of land still unoccupied in those
portions of the Canadian west where
the reliability Of crops has been DEM
onstrated.
Victims of the Fever.
Already many persons have suf-
fered severely from the Peace river
fever. Mr.. Macoun met one family
Of Nebraskans on their way out Of the
country last summer who gave this
account Of themselves:
The father sold his farm in Nebras-
ka for $4,000. He went to British
Columbia, but finding nothing to please
him, returned and started, with his
family of a wife and seven children
for New Mexico. Not finding what
ne naQ expected Inere, ne reCalleC
that in British Columbia man had
told him about the Peace River coun-
try. So the family jumped from New
Mexico to Edmonton, getting there in
March of last year.
They spent their money in buying
eighteen horses and complete outfit
of agricultural machinery and pro-
visions. Loading their goods on
sledges, they set out for their heaven
and reached it in April.
When he got there the farmer be-
gan to think. Even if he could sue
ceed in raising crops, there was no
one to sell them to. Then he de-
cided to take the back track. In June
Mr.. Macoun found the whole family
on the way out, leaving their ma
chinery behind. The father offered
to sell the whole outfit" for $40 with
which to buy few provisions.
1t is the old, old story of the settle
ment of America-the new country is
always the good country, the happy
country: the less there is actually
known about it the better it will seem.
DAILY ROMANCE.
Cleveland Plain Dealer.
.Petrof.'
Eyes lieutenant
1.-The countersign for tonight is Alexandra.