Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1909-04-23
$4,000 Square Miles Of
NeWLand to Opened Up.
Most Of il viii Be Suitable
~ For Agriculture.
Territory Forms Part Of Northern
Ontario and Quebec.

ottawa, Ont, April 22.-OVer fifteen
thousand square miles of new territory,
most of which is suitable for agricul-
ture, is about to be opened up by the
Canadian government as part of it's
policy of conservation and railroad
building. The exact extent and pos
sibilities of this new domain which is
larger In size than half Of New Eng
land. has Just been reported to the
Canadian Parliament by the commits
sloners Of the eastern section of the
National Transcontinental railway,
which is a government project.
The territory which will be opened
up forms part of the vast region of
Northern Ontario and Quebec, which
the early pioneers passed by, because
it lay north of the main route of west
ward travel, but which has since proved
to contain immense agricultural posi-
bilities. Stretching in long semi
circle from Lac Seul and Lake of the
Woods it sweeps east north of Lake
Superior and Georgian Bay to Montre-
al and Quebec. Lake Temagami and
the Cobalt country lie on it's southern
flank and northward it merges into the
vast plains of Hudson Bay.
ne ACT vi tllc opening
UP this great country will be equivalent
in it's results to the creation of new
province. Over 100000 acres of the
land, the commissioners report, is suit
able for cultivation. In district &C"
the available region begins four miles
east of the Bell river and extends
westerly to the Ontario boundary. In
this tract there are about SIP, 900
acres, of which about 100000 acres
will make good farming land, and
most of the rest can be drained. In
district 3D. there are about 1,344,0OO
acres of land, about 60 per cent. of
which can be described as arabic land.
From mile post 1856 to 2s5 there is an
immense tract of land which is equal
to any agricultural land in Canada.
1t contains 3SO0,0O0 acres of good ar
able land. In district "E'' there are
two tracts of good land, aggregating
about 100000 acres.
The new line runs from Moncton,
New Brunswick. to Winnipeg, where
it will connect with the western section
of the Grand Trunk Pacific. Work of
construction is progressing rapidly,
according to the commissioners.
Grading has been completed over 66S
miles at the first of the year and 800
miles of track had been laid Con-
tracts for E4,S1S gross tors of 80 lib.
steel rails have been awarded to date
and more contracts have been let for
steel superstructures. The line when
completed will cut the time between
the Atlantic and the Pacific and will
open up valuable wheat and timber
In, -, 10, do al no
farming region now engaging the at
tention of the government.
Much of this latter country is now
tin,bered, but specimen acres have been
cleared and planted to wheat, oats and
barley, with results which surprised
the Dominion and provincial agricul-
tural departments. Frank Moberly,
one of the investigators who reported
to these departments, recently con-
cluded an interesting series of expert
ments regarding the soil fertility of
the new country. Morberly spent four
years in the clay belt of Northern On
tario and Quebec.
This country is generally a pretty
level clay and clay loan country" he
reported, Every little rock showing ex-
cept along the main height of land and
some of the lake shores The banks
of the rivers are generally of a good
height and wooded with popple. The
ground falls away into spruce swamps
for distance and then rises gradually
to a possible 100 feet or SO to divide
before reaching the next stream val
ley. The timber is generally a black
spruce, not very large, but along the
river banks and ridges it is composed
of poplar, white spruce, balSam, jack
pine, birch, of a fair size, tamarac and
balsam. The natural drainage is
everywhere good when the moss is
removed, and the land is easily cleared
the tree roots being largely on the sur
face.
sThere are summer frosts and will
be until the land is cleared and Gull
tivated, hut will grow grass, oats, po-
tatoes and such crops and in time will
develop into a wheat growing country,
and will furnish traffic for the trans
continental eastern section, when the
wheat along the Grand Trunk Pacific
in the West is being shipped out by
Prince Rupert to compete with Man.
churia and Siberian grain on the Pa
cific. =
1.-The first year I sowed wheat, oats
and barley, all of which matured. The
second year, which was very wet and
unfavorable, 1 raised potatoes and
some vegetables which did fairly well
ard planted currant bushes, apples,
native plums from Lake Temiskaming
and some shrubs. The third year Oast
season) / had twenty-three kinds of
vegetables, including cucumbers, and
they nearly all did we'll, also quite a
variety of flowers among which sweet
peas and pansies were particularly fine,
also planted the native plum of Da-
kota and elms, ash, maple and oak
trees but do not of course know yet
the results Of wintering. This season
if all goes we'll hope to make further
test Of both plants and trees.
"Our climate is about the same as
Southern Manitoba but being we'll shell
tered by the forest we do not feel the
cold very much. The snowfall varies
from to feet, this year being about
3 feet