Page:Catholic Encyclopedia, volume 3.djvu/270

 CANADA

228

CANADA

verse, owing to the varied climates. There are three principal zones. The southern zone close to the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence is known for its fruit, especially apple, trees, its grain, and its prairies. In the central zone, which extends somewhat beyond 60° N. lat., grain is also grown, but this region is better known for its forests, north of 50°. In the great northern region, beyond 60°, where winter reigns during the greater part of the year, there is nothing to the west but sparsely grown forests and stunted trees, and to the east barren lands covered during the summer with moss and lichens. Agriculture is the source of Canada's greatest wealth. The census of 1901 valued at $363,126,384 the annual farm produc- tion of Canada, and the value of farms, including live stock, was appraised at 81,787,102,630. There is no doubt that these figures have increased since then. In the five years, 1901-06, the production of wheat was doubled. In 1901 it was 55,572.368 bushels, in 1906, 119,011,136. As will be seen by the table of statistics, farm products occupy a conspicuous place among the exports.

ployed nearly 55,000 men, and the income from this industry is estimated at $51,082,605, distributed as follows: Quebec, $18,969,716; Ontario. $21,351,898; Nova Scotia, $3,409,528; New Brunswick, $2,998,- 038; British Columbia. $2,634,157; Manitoba, $950,- 057; the Territories, $484,263; Prince Edward Island, $285,038.

The Dominion Government has kept under its con- trol 742,798 square miles of land, of which 506,220 square miles are managed by the Provincial Govern- ments, which concede the right of exploitation within certain limits. For some years now the Federal Gov- ernment has retained immense territories under the name of parks or reservations, where game and furred animals are protected. This example has been fol- lowed by the provinces of Ontario and Quebec. The best known are Yoho Park in the Rocky Mountains, Algonkin Park of more than 200,000 acres, in On- tario, and Victoria Park near Niagara Falls. Quebec also has a reservation in the northern part of the province, covering 1,620,000 acres.

Fisheries. — This industry has always employed

Table op

Exports

1S71

1881

1891

1901

1906

1907

$74,173,618

$98,290,823

$98,417,296

$186,996,224

$240,123 646

$272,206,605

Field Products

9,853,146

21.26S.327

13,666.858

36.940.7S5

52,173,705

58,327,323

11,473,019

15,849,776

16,458.941

57,558.796

67,580,378

68,659.980

1,109,906

5,510,443

9,508,800

20,696,951

24,441,664

22,028,281*

22,352,211

24,960.012

24,282,015

28,814,055

36,568,418

46,017.000

3,221.461

2,767,829

5,784.143

33,297,336

34,761.048

36,390.759

2,201.331

3,075.(19.'.

6,296,249

15.844.959

26.365,311

29,614,436

Fisheries

3,994,275

6.867,715

9,715,401

11,076,380

15,26.5.256

13.S2S.234


 * Nine months only.

The farm products of Canada are quoted in the ex- ports of 1906 at $120,518,297, that is more than half the total value of the exports for that year. It is evident also that the progress of agriculture has been very rapid during the last decade, exceeding that of the lumber industry.

Forests. — Throughout Canada there are vast for- ests. It is estimated that 1,326,258 square miles are covered with timber, this being more than a third of the total area of Canada. Outside of the Maritime Provinces, which have altogether more than S000 square miles of forests, there are three distinct wooded zones. That of British Columbia is 770 miles long by

many hands and is still on the increase. In 1881 there were 59,056 fishermen; in 18S6, 62,000; in 1891, 65,575; in 1900, 78,290; in 1903, 79,134. Fishing, which in 1881 yielded an income of $15,817.- 162, in 1891 brought $18,977,878; in 1901, $25,737,154; in 1903, $23,101,878. Nova Scotia, British Columbia, New Brunswick, and the Province of Quebec rank highest. The value of the boats, nets, and fishing tackle has been estimated at $12,241,454. Cod, lob- ster, salmon, herring, and mackerel form the principal catch. The salmon fisheries of Columbia are known all over the world. In 1901 their value of $7,221,387 headed the list, but in 1903 they fell to third place,

Mineral Output of the

Dominion

1886

1S89

1S94

1899

1904

1906

Gold Pit-coal

Copper Nickel Silver

$1,365,496 2,841.780


 * s5.(i.-,o

498,286

$1,295,159

5,049,330

836,341

498,286

$1.12S,688

7,578.019

736.960

1,870,958

$21,251,584 10,633.519 2,655.319 2,067,840

$15,400,000 16,483,309 5,510,119 4,219.153

S12.023.932 19,945.032 10.994.095 8,948,834 5,723.097

200 to 300 miles wide, where grow the red or Oregon pine, the red and the yellow cedar, the fir tree, and the western oak. Owing to the mildness of the climate these trees attain an enormous size. The northern zone runs from the banks of the Mackenzie to the border of Labrador, a length of 3000 miles, with a width of about 200 miles, and contains the largest forest of fir trees in the world. The southern zone is between 45° and 50° N. Lat. in the provinces of Quebec and Ontario and stretches towards the west, taking in the northern part of Saskatchewan anil Al- berta as far as the Peace River. The chief resource of this region is the white pine. The figures of expor- tation do not show t lie entire value of the wood, which serves many purposes. It is used not only for build- ing purposes but is also ground to pulp and converted into paper, in consequence of which a great many paper mills have been erected. In 1901 they cm-

with a valuation of $3,521,158. The chief exports go to Great Britain (in 1903, $3,904,793); the 1 nited States ($3,760,266); the West Indies ($938,721). France, and the Antilles.

Mines. — Though there are many mines in Canada, they are far from being all in operation. Coal is found in large quantities on Vancouver Island and in Nova Scotia and even in Manitoba and Saskatchewan; pit- coal in Nova Scotia north of Lake Superior and in the Province of Quebec. Nickel is found at Sudbury, I >n- tario and in British Columbia; asbestos in the Prov- ince of Quebec and mica in Ontario. Besides the rich placers of the Klondike, there is gold in the Province

of Quebec and in Saskatchewan. The mineral prod- ucts, which in 1SS6 amounted to (10,221 ,255, reached $19,931,158 in L894; 149,584,027 in 1899. 160,343, 165 in 1901. and $80.(1(10,048 in 1906. From 1899 Che gold production is included in the sum total. Columbia