Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume XII.djvu/300

 288 NEWFOUNDLAND if erous series occupies a large area in the vicin- ity of Grand pond and on St. George's bay. Building stones, including granite, sandstone, and limestone, are abundant in the island. Marble of various kinds occurs on the bay of Islands, and the fossiliferous limestone of Top- sail head on Conception bay takes a high polish, and furnishes a handsome variegated marble. Gypsum abounds in the vicinity of the Codroy rivers and elsewhere in the S. W. part of the island, and bituminous coal is found in the car- boniferous formation, where also brine springs frequently occur. Iron ore has been found. A lead mine was for some time worked at La Manche, at the head of Placentia bay, but with little success, though the lode is very prom- ising. Copper mines have been opened at several points, but, with the exception of that at Tilt Cove on Notre Dame bay, they have nearly all been discontinued. The Tilt Cove mine has been in successful operation since 1865, and in the five years from 1869 to 1873 inclusive 22,404 tons of ore were exported. A vein of nickel has been discovered here, and a small quantity of ore has been extracted. The climate, tempered on the one hand by the Gulf stream and on the other by the arctic current, is neither so cold in winter nor so hot in summer as on the adjacent portions of the continent. The weather is extremely variable, being often very mild in midwinter, and on the other hand raw and cold in midsummer. Spring is the most disagreeable and trying season, owing probably to the large floes of ice brought down from the north, and to the breaking up of the ice in the gulf of St. Lawrence, which affects the climate of the S. and W. portion of the island. The W. coast has a milder climate than the E. Dense fogs are prevalent, princi- pally in summer, along the S. and S. W. shores of the island and the coast of the peninsula of Avalon, but they do not extend far inland. The N. portion of the island is said to be quite free from them. The fogs and violent gales, which are common, render the coast of Newfound- land dangerous to navigation. The prevailing winds vary from S. W. to W., N. W., and N., except in February and March, and sometimes April, when N. E. winds prevail. The climate, except for those suffering from pulmonary dis- eases, is very healthy. The mean temperature at St. John's for the eight years from 1857 to 1864 inclusive was 41J, the highest annual mean being 44 in 1863, and the lowest 37 in 1864; average annual fall of rain and melted snow, 59-94 inches, the greatest fall being 82*4 inches in 1860 and the least 42 in 1857. The highest temperature observed was 89 in July, 1857, and the lowest 14 in February, 1863. In the interior, so far as known, the summits and sometimes the sides of the hills and ridges are thinly covered with a stunted vegetation, consisting of berry plants and dwarf bushes of various species, and are called " the barrens." The sides of those hills that afford natural drainage and the borders of the lakes and riv- ers are clothed with forests, consisting chiefly of fir, birch, pine, juniper, larch, wych hazel or yellow birch, mountain ash, alder, aspen, and spruce. These trees are generally small and stunted, though the. fir and birch sometimes attain considerable size. The largest and best timber is in the valleys of the Humber, the Exploits, the Gander, and the Gambo (the last two S. of the Exploits), where the pine and spruce are of the finest description. All the best timber and the best land are back from the coast. The ground here is often covered with a creeping bush, a species of yew, called in Canada the ground hemlock. The frequent peat marshes are covered with grasses, rushes, &c., while the other valleys and level tracks produce abundant pasturage. Much of the country is covered with lichens and reindeer moss. Large portions of the island are believed to be adapted to grazing, but few domestic ani- mals are kept. Sheep raising has been retarded by the great number of dogs kept by the in- habitants. Agriculture has been but little at- tempted, and chiefly in the southeast, where the soil and climate are least favorable. There is much arable land about the heads of the bays, on Humber river, the river of Exploits, and other streams. The region about the bay of Islands and along the W. coast S. of it has been found to contain extensive fertile tracts, and the climate here is better adapted to agriculture than on the S. and E. coasts. The interior is believed to contain much arable land, and the marshes are thought to be in large measure reclaimable. The principal crops that may be successfully cultivated are barley, oats, pota- toes, turnips, cabbages, peas, beans, carrots, &c. Wheat will ripen in some places ; its cultivation has been attempted only on the smallest possi- ble scale. Hops thrive, and strawberries, cur- rants, gooseberries, cherries, &c., grow in the gardens, while numerous species of berries are found wild. The number of acres under culti- vation in 1869 was 41,715. During the last two or three years, with successful fishing seasons, considerable progress has been made in agricul- ture. The principal wild animals are the cari- bou, bear, wolf, hare, beaver, marten, wild cat, and fox. The Newfoundland dog, so famous for its size, sagacity, and fidelity, is now rarely found of pure blood, the animals commonly known by the name being crosses of innumer- able varieties. Land and aquatic birds abound. The adjacent waters swarm with cod, caplin, herring, seals, &c., and salmon were formerly abundant in the streams. The fisheries are the chief wealth of the colony, employing directly or indirectly nine tenths of the inhabitants. The number of fishermen is about 32,000. The principal fisheries, in the order of importance, are the cod, seal, herring, and salmon. The cod fishery is pursued around the shores of the island and on the coast of Labrador, from June to October ; the average annual catch is about 1,500,000 quintals. The seal fishery begins about the first of March and terminates in May.