Stretching from the Rockies to the sea and from the United States to the
60th parallel, British Columbia is the largest Province in the Dominion.
It is big enough to enable one to place in it, side by side at the same
time, two Englands, three Irelands, and four Scotlands. Looking across
the water to the millions of British subjects in India, in Hong-Kong, in
Australia, and the isles of the sea, one catches brief pathetic glimpses
of the commercial greatness which the Pacific has begun to waft to these
shores. Nature intended British Columbia to develop a great seaward
commerce, and substantial trade relations are now established northward
to the Yukon and southward to Mexico. Population, June, 1911, 392,480.
British Columbia has natural wealth in her forests and her fish, in her
whales and seals and fruit farms. But it is from her mines, more than
from aught else, that she will derive her future wealth.
The parallel chains of the Rockies, the Selkirks, and the Coast Ranges
are a rich dower. They furnish scenery unrivalled in its majesty; they
are nurseries of great rivers which pour tribute into three oceans; and
in their rocky embrace they hold a mineral wealth second to none.
British Columbia contains an aggregate of from 16 million to 20 million
unoccupied arable acres. Sir William Dawson has estimated that in the
British Columbia section of the Peace River Valley alone, the
wheat-growing area will amount to 10 million acres. It is a country of
big things.
=How to get the Land.=--Crown lands in British Columbia are laid off and
surveyed into townships, containing thirty-six sections of one square
mile in each. The head of a family, a widow, or single man over the age
of eighteen years, and a British subject (or any alien upon making a
declaration of his intention to become a British subject) may for
agricultural purposes record any tract of unoccupied and unreserved
crown land (not being an Indian settlement), not exceeding 160 acres in
extent.
Free homesteads are not granted. The pre-emptor of land must pay $1 an
acre for it, live upon it for two years, and improve it to the extent of
$2.50 per acre. Particulars regarding crown lands of this Province,
their location, and method of pre-emption can be obtained by
communicating with the sub-joined government agencies for the respective
districts, or from the Secretary, Bureau of Agriculture, Victoria, B.
C.:
Alberni, Nanaimo, New Westminster, Golden, Cranbrook, Kaslo, Nelson,
Revelstoke, Bakersville, Telegraph Creek, Atlin, Prince Rupert,
Hazleton, Kamloops, Nicola, Vernon, Fairview, Clinton, Ashcroft.
=Agriculture.=--It is not so long ago that agriculture was regarded as a
quite secondary consideration in British Columbia. The construction of
railroads, and the settlement of the valleys in the wake of the miner
and the lumberman, have entirely dissipated that idea. The agricultural
possibilities of British Columbia are now fully appreciated locally, and
the outside world is also beginning to realize that the Pacific Province
has rich assets in its arable and pastoral lands.
Professor Macoun says: "As far north as the fifty-fourth degree it has
been practically demonstrated that apples will flourish, while in the
southern belt the more delicate fruits, peaches, grapes, and apricots,
are an assured crop."
On a trip through the valley one sees apple orchards with the trees
fairly groaning under their loads of fruit, and pear, plum, and prune
trees in like manner. In many places between the trees there are rows of
potatoes, cabbages, and other vegetables, showing that the land is
really producing a double crop. Grapes, water melons, and musk melons
also thrive in the valley, and large quantities of each are grown.
Tomatoes, cherries, and berries of all kinds are grown extensively.
Wheat, oats, and corn give excellent yields. As an instance, one man's
wheat crop this season averages 48-1/2 bushels to the acre. Of prunes,
one orchardist grew a crop of 7,000 boxes. The apples shipped find a
ready market in Calgary, Regina, and in the other cities in the prairie
provinces. Prices this year are considerably better than they were a
year ago. Last year this valley produced 350 carloads of fruit and
vegetables, and some of the farmers have made net profits of as high as
$250 an acre.
Those who have turned their attention to mixed farming are exceptionally
well pleased with the result. A local company is being organized to
build a cannery and this will be in operation next year. And besides
this one, another cannery is being talked of.
In the valleys, of which there are many, there are tracts of wonderfully
rich and, largely of alluvial deposits, that give paying returns.
The Columbia and Kootenay Valleys, comprising the districts of
Cranbrook, Nelson, Windermere, Slocan, Golden and Revelstoke are very
rich. The eastern portion requires irrigation; they are well suited to
fruit farming and all kinds of roots and vegetables. Timber lands are
said to be the best, when cleared. In the western portion of these
valleys there are considerable areas of fertile land, suitable for fruit
growing. The available land is largely held by private individuals.
[Illustration: The fruit industry of British Columbia is making rapid
development. Peaches, plums, pears, grapes, apples grow to the greatest
perfection.]
The valleys of the Okanagan, Nicola, Similkameen, Kettle, North and
South Thompson, and the Boundary are immensely rich in possibilities.
The advent of the small farmer and fruit grower has driven the cattle
industry northward into the Central district of the Province. The ranges
are now divided into small parcels, occupied by fruit growers and small
farmers. Irrigation is necessary in most places, but water is easy to
acquire.
The Land Recording District of New Westminster is one of the richest
agricultural districts of the Province and includes all the fertile
valley of the Lower Fraser. The climate is mild, with much rain in
winter. The timber is very heavy and the underbrush thick. Heavy crops
of hay, grain, and roots are raised, and fruit growing is here brought
to perfection. The natural precipitation is sufficient for all purposes.
For about seventy miles along the Fraser River there are farms which
yield their owners revenues from $4,000 to $7,000 a year; this land is
now worth from $100 to $1,000 an acre. As much as 5 tons of hay, 120
bushels of oats, 20 tons of potatoes, and 50 tons of roots have been
raised per acre.
Vancouver Island, with its great wealth of natural resources and its
commanding position, is fast becoming one of the richest and most
prosperous portions of the Province. Its large area of agricultural land
is heavily timbered and costly to clear by individual effort, but the
railroad companies are clearing, to encourage agricultural development.
Most farmers raise live stock, do some dairying and grow fruit. Grains,
grasses, roots, and vegetables grow to perfection and yield heavily.
Apples, pears, plums, prunes, and cherries grow luxuriantly, while the
more tender fruits--peaches, apricots, nectarines, and grapes attain
perfection in the southern districts when carefully cultivated.
F. A. Starkey, Pres. of the Boards of Trade says that a clear profit of
66-2/3 per cent can be made in fruit growing.
=Lillooet= is well adapted to dairying, cattle raising, and fruit growing.
=Central British Columbia=, through which the Grand Trunk Pacific is now
being constructed, comprises the valleys of the Bulkley, Endako,
Nechaco, Fraser, and Stuart, where there is considerable land inviting
to the settler. The soil and climate of the valleys extending westward
to the Bulkley are adapted to grain growing and cattle raising, while
further westward and to within fifty miles of the west coast belt apple
culture as well is successful.
Down the Fraser from Fort George there is active development in
settlement, and wheat, oats, barley and hay are highly productive; the
climate is good. The soil is a brown silt covered by a layer of
vegetable mould, and the timber is light and easy to clear.
Along the Nechaco, between Fort George and Fraser Lake, is same
character of soil and a similar country, there being large tracts well
fitted for general farming. Native grasses yield abundant food; there is
ample rainfall, and the winter climate moderates as the coast is
approached.
North of Fort Fraser there is good grazing and farming land, somewhat
timbered and covered with rich grasses. The prevailing price is $25 an
acre; owners are not particularly anxious to sell.
The Bulkley and Endako valleys have a lightly-timbered rich soil, and a
well-watered country with mixed farming possibilities. There is no
necessity for irrigation. It would be rash for the inexperienced to
penetrate this district in search of land before the railway. The
difficulties and cost are too great. To the hardy pioneer, who has
knowledge of how to select good land in a timbered country, the future
is at his feet. Most of the available land within a reasonable distance
of the railroad is taken up, and the days of the pre-emptor, except in
remoter parts, are past. Land can be secured at a reasonable figure from
those who have purchased in large blocks from the Government.
Central British Columbia is lightly timbered from end to end; natural
open patches are not frequent, and occur mostly on river banks and at
the ends of lakes. While railroad construction is under way and
settlement in progress good prices will be obtained for all agricultural
products. This portion of the Province can now be reached by way of
Prince Rupert, by rail from Edmonton, or by trail from Ashcroft, B. C.
=Highways.=--One-half million dollars was spent last year in opening up
first-class wagon and motor roads throughout the Province.
=Education.=--The school system is free and non-sectarian; equally as
efficient as in any other Province of the Dominion. The Government
builds a school-house, makes a grant for incidental expenses, and pays a
teacher in every district where twenty children between the ages of six
and sixteen can be gathered. High schools are also established in
cities, where classics and higher mathematics are taught.
=Chief Cities.=--Victoria, the capital, about 60,000; Vancouver, the
commercial capital, 123,902; New Westminster, 13,199; Nelson, 4,476;
Nanaimo, 8,168; Rossland, 2,826; Kamloops, 3,772; Grand Forks, 1,577,
Revelstoke, 3,017; Fernie, 3,146; Cranbrook, 3,090; Ladysmith, 3,295;
Prince Rupert, 4,184; Fort George and Fort Fraser on the Fraser and
Nechaco rivers and Grand Trunk Pacific will be important towns in the
near future.
Hon. W. R. Ross, Provincial Minister of Lands, says that there is a
total of 93,000,000 acres of land reserved for pre-emption within the
confines of the Province at the present time. Of the 250,000,000 acres
of ground estimated to be within the Province only 5,000,000 acres, or
about 2 per cent, had been sold to date he said, even excluding reserve
land, available for settlement. As a matter of fact, during the past few
years between 9,000 and 11,000 pre-emptions had been issued by the
Government to settlers, and during the last year 3,600 had been issued
outside of the railway belt and about 1,200 within the area.
The cities afford a splendid reflex of the trade of the country, and
show the development in mining, fishing, lumbering, shipping,
manufacturing and agriculture.
=Climate.=--Near the coast the average number of days in the year below
freezing is fifteen; rainfall varies from 40 to 100 inches. Farther
inland the average number of days in the year below freezing is
sixty-five. The northern districts of Hazleton, Pearl River, Cassiar,
and Atlin are somewhat colder.
Ocean currents and moisture laden winds from the Pacific exercise a
moderating influence upon the climate of the coast. The westerly winds,
arrested in their passage east by the Coast Range, create what is known
as the "dry belt" east of the mountains; the higher air currents carry
the moisture to the lofty peaks of the Selkirks, and the precipitation
in the eastern portion of the Province is greater than in the central
district, thus a series of alternate moist and dry belts is formed. The
Province offers a choice of a dry or moist climate, an almost total
absence of extremes of heat and cold, freedom from malaria, and
conditions most favourable.
=Mineral Resources.=--The precious and useful metals abound in British
Columbia, and it was the discovery of placer gold in the Cariboo
District that first attracted attention to the Province. Occurrences of
copper, gold, silver, and lead ores are widespread, and mining is being
carried on in those districts convenient to transportation facilities.
Coal is extensively mined in Vancouver Island, in the Crow's Nest Pass
district and more recently, in the Nicola Valley region. Miners' wages
are high, and there is usually a constant demand for workmen. The value
of the mineral production last year was 32 million dollars, of which
coal contributed 9 million and copper 8 million dollars.
Much successful prospecting is in progress in the region traversed by
the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway, the completion of which will
undoubtedly be followed by important mining development. Already many
valuable finds of coal and metal ores have been made. The mineral
resources are not confined to any one section, although the principal
metalliferous operations have so far been confined to the southern
portion of the Province. The various mining camps, employing large
numbers of men, who are paid high wages, afford a fine home market for
the products of the farms and orchards.
[Illustration: There is no more profitable industry in British Columbia
than that of raising cattle. Dairying is carried on extensively.]
[Illustration: BRITISH COLUMBIA
Dominion Electoral Divisions shown in Colour. Lands in Peace River
Block, as well as those along the Canadian Pacific Railway within shaded
line, are administered by the Dominion Government.]
=Timber.=--Next in importance, at the present time, are the timber
resources. It is admitted that the largest remaining areas of
first-class building timbers in the world are in British Columbia. The
lumber industry has increased enormously of recent years owing to the
demand from the rapidly growing Prairie Provinces. For many years to
come it will have to undergo constant expansion to keep pace with the
ever-growing needs of the untimbered prairie regions. The principal
woods are Douglas fir, cedar, spruce, tamarac, pine and hemlock.
=Fisheries.=--This Province has risen to the rank of the greatest
fish-producing Province in the Dominion. Besides its extensive salmon
fisheries, it has, lying within easy distance of the northern part of
its coast line, extremely rich halibut grounds, while herring are in
great abundance all along its shores. These various branches of the
fishing industry are being rapidly developed, but there is yet room for
great expansion. The value of the fisheries of the Provinces for 1913
amounted to about 11 million dollars.
=What Premier McBride says=:
"Millions of British money is finding investment in British Columbia,
and there is scope for millions more. One of the advantages of British
Columbia is that all of its industrial and other enterprises are of a
permanent character. There is room for millions of people. We have the
resources, the geographical situation, and the climate that will appeal.
"Our elementary school system is free and compulsory, and one of the
most efficient in the world, making ample provision, as it does, for
ambitious students to pass on to the universities of Canada, the United
States, and England. But we are also to have our own University."
Much attention has been attracted to the result of the opening of the
Panama Canal on the shipping future of the ports at the coast.
=Lakes and Rivers.=--The most important are the Columbia, which has a
course of 600 miles in British Columbia; the Fraser, 750 miles long; the
Skeena, 300 miles long; the Thompson, the Kootenay, the Stikine, the
Liard, and the Peace. These with their tributaries drain an area of
one-tenth of the whole of the North American continent. The lake area
aggregates 1-1/2 million acres.
On the lakes and rivers first-class steamers give accommodation to the
settlements along the banks and in the valleys, and afford excellent
transportation for tourists. There are lines of steamers in service
between Vancouver, Japan, and China; between Vancouver and Australia;
between Vancouver and Mexico, and between Vancouver and England via the
Suez Canal. These ocean communications of British Columbia are highly
important. Vancouver is the terminus of the shortest route from
Liverpool to Yokohama and all important points of the Far East. The
Province has a considerable coasting fleet, having direct connection
with Yukon and Alaska. There is not as yet a large Pacific marine of
Canadian registry. Although in the service of Canadian interests the
tonnage is largely British.
=A Rich Province.=--British Columbia coal measures are sufficient to
supply the world for centuries. It possesses the greatest compact area
of merchantable timber in the world. The mines are in the early stages
of their development, and have already produced about 400 million
dollars, of which coal contributed 122 million. The value of the mineral
production in 1911 was 30 million dollars. The fisheries return an
average annual yield of nearly 10 million dollars. British Columbia's
trade, per head of population, is the largest in the world. The chief
exports are salmon, coal, gold, silver, copper, lead, timber, masts and
spars, furs and skins, whale-oil, sealskins, hops, and fruit.
=Railways.=--The Canadian Pacific Railway has two main lines and several
branches making connection with United States railway systems, as well
as operating on Vancouver Island. With the exception of one or two small
gaps the Grand Trunk Pacific will have its line completed through
Central British Columbia this year. This will open up a very large area
for settlement. At the Pacific terminus in Prince Rupert, splendid
steamers connect with other portions of the Mainland and with Vancouver
Island.
The Canadian Northern has secured low grades across the Rockies and,
making its way down the Fraser and North Thompson, finds an easy outlet
at Port Mann near Vancouver. The Great Northern enters the Province at
points in the boundary. The provincial railway mileage is 1,854 miles
with 1,000 miles under construction.
=Stock.=--Dairying pays handsomely in British Columbia. The local demand
for butter is constantly increasing and the prices secured are higher
than in Eastern Canada. The Province possesses many elements necessary
to constitute it a great dairying country. There are extensive areas of
pastoral land in the interior, while increased cultivation in the lower
country will form the necessary feeding ground. With a plentiful supply
of good water, and luxuriant and nutritious grasses, there is every
required facility added. Cattle raising on a large scale was formerly
one of the chief industries of the Province, and many of the large
ranches are still making money, but the tendency of late has been for
smaller herds and the improvement of the stock. Sheep raising is another
branch of agriculture capable of great expansion. Hogs, in small
farming, are probably the most profitable of live stock, owing to the
general demand for pork, bacon, ham, and lard, and much attention is now
being given to raising them. Over 1 million dollars of hog products are
imported annually, and prices are always high. The demand for good
horses, especially heavy draft and working animals, is always
increasing, and prices are consequently high.
=Dairy Products.=--In 1912 this industry reached a valuation of nearly 4
million dollars. Poultry raising is a branch of general farming which is
beginning to receive special attention in British Columbia. The home
market is nowhere nearly supplied either with eggs or poultry, large
quantities being imported from Manitoba, Ontario, California,
Washington, and elsewhere. Good prices prevail at all seasons of the
year. Every portion of British Columbia is suitable for poultry raising.
In the Coast districts, hens, ducks, and geese can be raised to great
advantage, and the dry belts and uplands are particularly well adapted
to turkeys.
=Grain.=--Wheat is grown principally in the Fraser, Okanagan, and
Spallumcheen Valleys and in the country around Kamloops. Barley of
excellent quality is grown in many parts of the Province. Oats are the
principal grain crop, the quality and yield being good, and the demand
beyond the quantity grown. Potatoes, turnips, carrots, mangolds, and all
other roots grow in profusion wherever their cultivation has been
attempted. Hop culture is carried on in the Okanagan, Agassiz, and
Chilliwak districts. British Columbia hops command a good price in
England and recently Eastern Canada and Australia have bid for them.
Some attention has been given to the cultivation of sugar-beets,
tobacco, and celery, and in each case with the most gratifying results,
ensuring an early expansion of operations in all of these lines.
In 1912 there was a total agricultural production in the Province of
about 14-1/2 million dollars, but there was imported another 15 million
dollars' worth.
British Columbia agriculturists and fruit growers are particularly
fortunate in having a splendid home market for their products, and for
their surplus there is the enormous present and illimitable future
demand of the Prairie Provinces, assuring always good prices and ready
sale for everything they produce.
=Game.=--For big-game hunters there are moose, wapiti, sheep, caribou,
goat, deer, grizzly, black, and brown bear, wolves, panthers, lynx, and
wild cats; in the way of small game there is the best snipe shooting
procurable anywhere, and duck and geese, prairie chicken, grouse, and
quail abound. In addition to sport with rifle and shot gun, salmon
fishing, unknown elsewhere, trout and grayling fishing, unsurpassed in
any other country, may be enjoyed at a minimum of cost and
inconvenience.
[Illustration: In Central British Columbia there is an area of
agricultural land that is unexcelled anywhere. Wonderful yields of all
small grains are reported.]