This land is not all suitable for cultivation. It has its swamps and its muskeg, and its
that are found in almost any country where there is a large growth of scrub timber; but the larger part of this land, as Mr. Lawrence had found by travelling over the country away from the river, is suitable for settlement.
Mr. Lawrence drew the attention of the committee to the fact that some years ago, Doctor Dawson, after going through Peace river country, reported that a large part of it was covered with muskeg and would be permanently unsuited for agriculture. In 1903 he took a trip from Fort Vermilion through Lesser Slave lake, through an unknown country two hundred and fifty miles. Later than that he travelled away from Peace river about fifty or sixty miles, and saw something that gave him an idea of these muskegs. The muskegs had covered some large patches of that country, and the moss was about three feet in thickness. There had been large tracts of this moss burnt out. Forest fires had been running through there, and Mr. Lawrence supposed that the fire burnt thousands of acres that had formerly been muskeg, as shown by these large patches of moss, sometimes a few feet across and sometimes larger, which were left standing, where the muskeg had been. On this burnt area he saw grass from four to five feet in height. There were thousands of acres of it covered with the red-top grass, which is the standard grass of the west. The reason these muskegs had been there for so many years was that the moss formed a great sponge and retained the moisture. But when all that land is drained and the moss removed, it will certainly raise good crops of grass, and where grass can be grown, grain can be raised.
Mr. Lawrence stated that he would say that about one-tenth of the district to the north is covered with moss. To the south of Grande prairie there is a large proportion covered with moss, and Doctor Dawson may have intended to refer particularly to that district. Mr. Lawrence produced photographs of the grain raised on the soil that was formerly covered by timber—low land and timber. He explained that he had farmed at Vermilion for over twenty years, and had
during that time, although he had as low as five and one-half bushels to the acre. There was one very dry season which reduced the average, but there was always a certain amount of grain raised there that was good for seed and grinding purposes. There has never been a complete failure from frost or any other cause. They have no rust on the wheat up there. He had raised as much as sixty-six bushels of wheat to the acre. That was the biggest yield, and accomplished without any fertilizer whatever. The heads of wheat at Fort Vermilion often would grow to the length of six inches, and at times he had counted sixty-five kernels in one head of wheat. Barley sown after the middle of May is usually ripe in the last week of July. The continuous daylight with about eighteen hours of sunlight accounts for the rapid growth of all vegetables in these parts.