FARMING ===== in ======== Vancouver Island FARMING IN VANCOUVER ISLAND Vancouver Island Fruit Lands Limited GENERAL AGENTS Carmichael and Moorhead Limited 606-610 BELMONT HOUSE VICTORIA, B.C. District Offices : PORT ALBERNI. B.C. PARKSVILLE, B.C. S Vancouver City Agents : FRANCO-CANADIAN TRUST COMPANY, LIMITED 502-507 ROGERS BUILDING. VANCOUVER. B.C. Sole Agents for United Kingdom and Belgium: THE WESTERN PACIFIC DEVELOPMENT COMPANY. LIMITED 125 PALL MALL LONDON. ENGLAND. Sole Agents for France: CIE. FRANCO-CANAD1ENNE. 14 RLE AUBER. PARIS. FRANCE. ACKNOWLEDGMENT The Publishers wish to thank Mr. Fleming, and Mr. Leonard Frank for the photos contained in this issue. Acknowledgments are also made to the Vancouver Island -Development League and many other friends for their invaluable help in preparing the letterpress. 1 PREFACE Some thirty years ago, when the Esquimalt and Nanaimo Railway was built (.now the Vancouver Island division of the Canadian Pacific Railway) the Government granted to the railway, by way of a contribution, a large tract of country which included some of the finest farming land on the Island. Up to recent times, however, no systematic attempt had been made to assist in its development. Settlers came there and prospered exceedingly as the Province badly needed farm produce, and is even now importing hall its supply. But these settlers had to make their own roads and clear their own lands. The Vancouver Island Fruit Lands Company was formed, by concession from the Railway Company to colonize the Railway holdings. After surveying the ground the Company has chosen for immediate development the portion indicated on the map (enclosed with this book) and is looking for farmers to take up plots of 10 acres and upwards. The terms of concession are liberal enough to allow the company in subdividing- the land, to construct roads giving access to each individual farm. while yet offering the land on very advantageous terms to genuine settlers, whose farming may be expected to furnish goods traffic to the Railway. The Company has experienced men on the spot, -whose duty it is to give practical' information to the man who wants to make a new start in a new country, where opportunity offers great reward to the industry of all. A settler can make arrangements with the Company for clearing a portion of his selection, for the building of a house, and for the necessary outbuildings. An investigation farm is being established in each district to aid the settler in a practical manner. Some blocks of land are now being converted into semi-ready farms. If the reader after studying this booklet, is interested in hearing about the agricultural, fruit-growing and poultry opportunities on Vancouver Island; if he wants to know how he can get, at the lowest price and on the best possible terms, a farm of such a size as he can command the capital to work; if he wants to know how- to secure a beautiful home in a new and prosperous land, he should write at once to one of the addresses on the title page. FARMING IN VANCOUVER ISLAND CHAPTER I. VANCOUVER ISLAND—WHERE AND WHAT IT IS Vancouver Island is 185 miles long, with an average width of 40 miles. It lies so close to the mainland of British Columbia that for two centuries after its discovery it was not regarded as an island at all, but as a peninsula standing out from the Canadian coast. The Island is an integral part of the Province of British Columbia commercially as well as politically, and its importance is indicated by the fact that A^ictoria, the capital city of the Province, is on Vancouver Island. Vancouver City (including suburbs), just opposite the Island, on the mainland, has 200.000 inhabitants, and is the mainland terminal of the Canadian Pacific Railway, Canadian Northern Pacific and other transcontinental railways. When the Hudson Bay Company opened the first post, Vancouver Island was a land of virgin forest, penetrated only by the Red Indian. Today it is prosperous and civilized, with fine harbours, railroads building from end to end, and a population devoted to farming, forestry, coal and copper-mining, fisheries and manufactures. Victoria (with suburbs) has a population of over 65,000, and the city's value as assessed for taxation, is about SI 12.000.000. Nanaimo, the Newcastle of Vancouver Island, has 10,000 inhabitants, and has been shipping coal to the mainland for more than half-a-century. It has a flourishing timber trade, herring fisheries, and manufactures. Other towns on the seaboard facing the mainland are Ladysmith (coal), Chemainus (timber), Duncan (farming and residential), Cumberland (coal), Parksville (agriculture), Qualicum (seaside resort). On the Western seaboard Alberni and Port Alberni are rapidly gaining prominence. The latter city, on a magnificent harbour, is the [Page Seven] FARMING IN VANCOUVER ISLAND centre of a rich timber, coal-mining and agricultural region, with salmon and deep-sea fisheries, and there are waterfalls within a radius of twelve miles capable of developing 50.000 horse-power. Property within the city limits is assessed (year 1913) at $3,322,442.00, and the City of Alberni at SI.519,160.00. Alberni Valley is about 20 miles long and from six to eight miles wide. It is destined to become an important agricultural district. It is distant 134 miles from Victoria and 55 miles from Nanaimo, with which place it is connected by the Esquimalt and Nanaimo Railway. The Canadian Northern Pacific Railway is building from Victoria to the northern end of Vancouver Island via Port Alberni, and will traverse the valley. A very large area of good agricultural land can easily be brought under cultivation by clearing and drainage. The soil generally is a clayey loam and very productive, being well adapted for fruitgrowing and dairying. A considerable part of the holdings of this Company lies within the Alberni Valley. The opening of the Panama Canal is bound to increase enormously the trade and to raise the value of land on Vancouver Island. The great railway companies realizing the future, are hurrying new lines from Victoria to the northern end of the Island. These lines will open up one of the most beautiful agricultural districts along the Eastern coast between Nanaimo and Comox. All that country between Alberni, Comox, and Port Hardy, with its agricultural possibilities, water powers, timber, splendid natural harbours (Nootka, Quatsino), and romantic scenery (Strathcona Park) is bound to become a densely settled district with prosperous little towns lying in fertile valleys. One of the factors tending towards rapid development is the great annual increase in the number of holiday tourists. To encourage this the Provincial Government are spending large sums in developing roads and making easy of access the beauties [Page Eight] FARMING IN VANCOUVER ISLAND of Stratficona Park, with its unbounded wealth and variety of natural scenery. The tourist traffic not only brings to the Island a large amount of hard cash, but also creates a demand, Avhich already is far in excess of the present supply, for all manner of farm produce. The coasts of British Columbia and Vancouver Island are the only parts of Canada which are free from severe winters. Vancouver Island has for farming purposes the finest all- round climate in the world, having cool summers and moderate winters without an)- extremes. The Isothermal lines. denoting 40 degrees (8 degrees above freezing) in winter and 60 degrees Fahrenheit in summer, intersect at Vancouver Island and produce as nearly as possible both ideal summer and winter temperature. There are no blizzards, hot nights, thunderstorms, long winters, killing frosts, or sudden changes. The distinguishing climatic characteristics are uniform temperature, absence of summer or winter extremes, pure air, and bracing oversea breezes, comfortable cool nights, and sufficient moisture, with the resultant perennial verdure and purest water. In Appendix A (page 39) will be found tables showing the temperature, rainfall, snowfall and bright sunshine for the three years last past at Victoria. In the West and North parts of Vancouver Island the rainfall is more abundant but the winters are just as mild. FARMING IN VANCOUVER ISLAND CHAPTER II. THE MARKET FOR FARM PRODUCE Before giving in detail the working figures for the various kinds of produce which can be raised on the farms offered for sale by the Vancouver Island Fruit Lands Limited, it is desirable to tell the enquirer where he can dispose of his crops. Obviously the fact that certain produce costs a certain amount to raise and has a certain value when sold does not secure a profit to the farmer unless he can bring his wares to market. What then is the state of demand and supply in the markets accessible to Vancouver Island farmers? The answer is complete and satisfactory. The cities of the Island and the mainland could use double the amount of farm produce that is grown. Fifty per cent, of the vegetables, fruit, eggs, poultry, and other farm commodities used in British Columbia (which, of course, includes Vancouver Island) have to be imported over a tariff wall. A list of the farm produce imported into British Columbia and its value, compiled from Government returns, will be found in Appendix E (page 44), showing total annual imports, officially valued at $15,803,545. The whole of this produce could have been grown locally if there had been farmers to raise it; and this is why the Provincial Government takes such untiring pains to attract capable settlers to agricultural lands, and why it taxes them so lightly. Vancouver Island itself and the British Columbia mainland form for all practical purposes a single market. The distance is so small and communications are so good that it makes no difference whether a farm is on the Island or on the Continent. [Page Ten] FARMING IN VANCOUVER ISLAND Steamers admirably adapted for farm freight deliver produce at Vancouver in four-and-a-half to six hours from time of shipment, while trains from the farming districts take but two and five hours to reach Nanaimo and Victoria respectively. AN AID TO MARKETING A tendency of agricultural life in British Columbia is the development of Co-operative Associations, whereby the producer and consumer are brought into closer touch, mutually benefiting by the elimination of the middleman. These Associations which are assisted by government loans, enable the farmer to get the best prices for his produce with the least amount of trouble to himself. The current market prices for various produce are shown in Appendix F (page 46). FARMERS' SUPPLIES The accessibility of the lands for marketing purposes carries with it in natural course, the greatest facility for getting in the farmer's own supplies. He is in no isolated loneliness remote from centres, like the early pioneers of Winnipeg. Within a very few hours he can obtain from Victoria or from the City of Vancouver anything that he wants—not only fertilizers, tools, chicken food, and similar farm requirements, but also every article of home use known to the civilized world. It is not always easy to realize that new countries like British Columbia are no longer in the pioneer stage, but have houses, shops and hotels which would compare favorably with those anywhere. FARMING IN VANCOUVER ISLAND CHAPTER III. MIXED FARMING Vancouver Island is pre-eminently the home of mixed farming. The excellent marketing facilities, growing population, equable climate, abundant rainfall, and the absence of blizzards, snow-storms, heavy frosts and violent winds, all relieve the farmer, whatever lines he may adopt, from the ruinous risks which cannot be wholly avoided elsewhere. But a mixed farm in Vancouver Island is as nearly free from hazards of any kind as any human enterprise can be. As it is security above all things that we are anxious to offer, we particularly recommend mixed farming. A settler may prefer to devote most energy and the greater part of his capital to one or to another of the varied modes of production open to him, according to his individual taste, and for this reason rather full details are given of some among them; but we advise variety. There is not a district in the Island where diversified farming may not be carried on more profitably than any special branch of the industry. The farmer derives a continuous income by studying the needs of his locality and adjusting his production to the demand. He can go in for dairying, grow hay and a little grain, keep poultry, hogs and sheep and raise a great variety of fruits and vegetables. His hay and roots will support cows, each yielding a considerable yearly profit. Sheep and pigs find a ready sale at all seasons. Turkeys as well as other poultry can be reared to bring an early profit, and all this livestock has a particular attraction for that reason. Fruit, a very important and lucrative crop, needs time. While the trees are reaching the productive stage (and they must not be allowed to bear until well established), vegetables, small fruits and the dairy will earn an income, and the smaller livestock can wander in the young orchard, getting part of its living and doing good to the soil. [Page Thirteen} FARMING IN VANCOUVER ISLAND Potatoes, turnips, beets, mangolds, carrots, and other roots all grow in profusion wherever their cultivation has been attempted. Potatoes sell for about $15.00 to $20.00 a ton. The Dominion census places the average yield of potatoes for all Canada at about 6y2 tons per acre. Carrots, turnips, parsnips and beets sell at an average of about 50 cents a bushel. Besides natural grasses and vetches, which afford excellent grazing for cattle, sheep and horses, cultivated grasses grow in profusion wherever sown. Red clover, sainfoin, alsike, timothy and brome grass yield two crops in the season under favorable conditions. Hay from rye grass, orchard grass, timothy and. red clover averages 2 to 3 tons to the acre and sells for about $20.00 a ton. Celery is' grown as yet in limited quantities only, but the soil and climate warrant its production on a large scale. Properly grown and packed it commands an unlimited market, and should be a very paying crop. Indian corn, melons and tomatoes are profitable items in the output of a small farmer, and are successfully grown, the demand exceeding the supply. On the West Coast of Vancouver Island, cranberries are easily grown, and as they are much liked in Canada they should prove a lucrative crop. Experiments have proved that the soil and climate of parts of the Island are admirably adapted for the growth of flowering bulbs, and a considerable business in these has already been established. The market is a good one, for bulbs are in demand, the bulk of those used in North America being imported from Europe. The Pacific Coast uses 50,000,000 every year. The profit derivable from bulbs is estimated at over $2000.00 Bees are also beginning to attract attention and should become a very profitable side-line. A considerable quantity of [Page Fourteen] FARMING IN VANCOUVER ISLAND local honey of first-class quality is found in the markets and is eagerly bought. On the mainland of British Columbia hops are grown, averaging 1,500 lbs. to the acre. Most of them go to the British Market, but local breweries, Eastern Canada and Australia are buying more every year. An exhibit of British Columbia hops at the New Zealand International Exhibition, 1906, was much commended and was the means of opening a new market. There is no reason why hops should not be grown on Vancouver Island, and the facilities for shipping will be greatly improved with the opening of the Panama Canal. Grain, though of course grown in enormous quantities on the Prairies, is not a large feature of Vancouver Island farming. Wheat is only cultivated for fodder and poultry-feed. Barley and oats can be grown, but the small acreages which yield such good profits on the Island do not favor grain crops, as the land can be utilized to greater advantage. Rye is grown to a limited extent, but is used for fodder. Horse-breeding, even on a small scale, pays well. A farmer with a couple of Clyde mares should be able to raise two foals a year and get a certain amount of work out of the mothers. These foals sell as yearlings for $100.00 to $125.00. If the farmer has enough pasture, they can be kept until they are rising four, when they are ready for breaking and can be put to work. Strong, heavy four-year-old Clydes are worth $300.00 to $400.00 or even $500.00. There is a steady demand for heavy draught horses. Hackney breeding is also worthy of attention, and a good stamp of "general purpose" horse that can plough and draw a good load and yet trot in harness, is always in demand. A settler with a good team can earn $7.00 per diem when working out at odd times. FARMING IN VANCOUVER ISLAND ANGORA GOATS While different settlers adopt different methods to bring their wild lands into cultivation, they have one desire in common, namely, to obtain as soon as possible some return from their land without incurring much extra expense. This can best be done by purchasing a small herd of Angora goats. They will thrive on what will not support a cow, even where sheep will scarcely live, and the underbrush on logged lands may be kept under control or destroyed by properly utilizing the land as pasturage for these animals. When the brush is killed, the cost of clearing is materially reduced and there is greater protection against forest fires. With the small timber to be found on these lands the fencing of ten or twenty acres is not a very formidable task. This amount of land will support a flock of 20 to 30 goats. They will need a shed to stand in when it is very wet and a little hay during the worst part of the winter. The mohair from the clipping will bring in a small sum, the natural increase will supply you with goat mutton once in a while, the milk is excellent for young children, the skins can be made into fine rugs, and when you are ready to clear out the stumps you will find that the goats have paid their way by clearing the land of brush, briars and ferns. A registered buck and 20 does should cost not more than S75.00 to S125.00, the annual value of the mohair should run from S25.00 to S30.00. the kids would easily be worth another $30.00, and the cost of maintenance is almost nil. So Angora goats will not only help to clear and manure the land, but will at the same time produce an annual revenue but little less than their original cost price. FARMING IN VANCOUVER ISLAND CHAPTER IV. DAIRY FARMING Dairying is a most profitable industry on Vancouver Island, especially in the production of cream, the skim-milk being fed to pigs. An advantage of the industry is its contribution to the soil. The dairy pays handsomely, especially where the farmer is not obliged to employ skilled labor for milking and butter- making. The establishment of co-operative creameries at Duncan, and in the Comox, Nanaimo, and other districts, has made it possible for farmers to conduct dairying operations on a liberal scale, and these associations have had great commercial success. The cream is generally delivered three times a week in summer and twice in winter. As a rule several farmers club together, taking it in turns to collect and deliver all their cream, thus saving a great deal of time. If preferred, the cream can be shipped to the cities by rail or steamer. On arrival at the creameries, the output of each farm is tested for percentage of butter fat. cheques being forwarded monthly in payment. Thus a steady and reliable income is assured to the farmer in proportion to the number of cows in milk. In addition he shares the profits of the creamery as a commercial enterprise, according to the number of shares which he holds. Butter fetches a high price—the Duncan creamery getting generally 5c. a pound more than other creameries on the Island and Mainland. In summer the price of butter is from 30c. to 35c. and in winter from 40c. to 45c.— the retail prices being from 35c. to 50c. according to the time of year. The British Columbia Government encourages by liberal financial assistance the building of creameries at points in the Island where they are needed. [Page Seventeen] FARMING IN VANCOUVER ISLAND With the growth of cities and towns the business of supplying milk and cream for domestic use is becoming a profitable and important branch of dairy farming in localities where the railway run is short enough for supplies to reach the town. The abundant rainfall and mild winters especially favor milk production the year round. DAIRY COWS—SOILING Careful trials have shown that by feeding cows wholly on green forage crops in the stables, from two to five times as much milk can be produced from one acre as from pasturing the same land. Many more cows can be kept on a given area and the productive capacity of the land can be rapidly increased. The saving of manure and its application to the best advantage is one of the great gains of soiling. For this system of feeding a variety of green crops must necessarily be grown in succession, so that there may be a continuous and certain supply. The following are recommended for this Island: Red clover and timothy sown separately in July and August; crimson clover and barley sown in August and September, and wheat and rye sown in September and October—all these for use in winter and early spring. Oats, spring barley and peas sown in early Spring; vetches, also corn and soy beans, planted in May; cowpeas, corn, millets, and Hungarian grass, sown in June—these for cutting in the summer and fall. Two crops from the regular mowing lands of grass and clover will fill in the gaps, and to supplement the winter feeding the output of a silo is an advantage but not a necessity. At least 110 lbs. of green forage should be provided daily for every 1.000 lbs. weight of cow—this on an average, as the quantity should vary with the character of the forage. One of the points of gain by soiling is saving the food expended by the animal in its exertion to procure its food at pasture. Unlike the horse, a cow does not require much exercise to keep it condition. It is a mistake to water but once [Page Nineteen] FARMING IN VANCOUVER ISLAND a day, if they can be induced to drink two or three times a day it should be done. The minimum space allotted to a cow is 600 cubic feet. but double this amount is preferable. The stalls should be from 2>y2 to 4 feet in width, the length depending on the size of the cow; in rear of the stall there should be a shallow drain. 16 to 24 inches wide, into which the droppings will fall. Use no damp material under a cow. no rotten straw, and no moist earth or sawdust. An excess of bedding is undesirable, as the manure becomes too bulky and is lessened in value per load. A good combination is 5 or 6 lbs. straw and 10 or 12 lbs. of dry earth or sawdust. Let the cow byres have plenty of ventilation and yet be free from draughts, and see that the stalls are regularly cleaned and disinfected; heat and flies reduce not only the quantity but also the quality of the milk. In figuring the profits from dairying a great many items that might easily be overlooked should be taken into consideration : Capital invested, time consumed, price of feed, expense of transportation, life of cow. etc. One of the things which should not be overlooked in this connection is the value of the manure in improving the soil. The actual money received is only one of the benefits that must be considered in figuring the gains and losses. The general average compiled from statistics seems to indicate a return of from $100.00 to $200.00 per annum per cow. It must be remembered, however, that as in every other occupation, the rewards are to him who works diligently, patiently, intelligently and perseveringly. Where good land cleared and in cultivation costs more than $300.00 per acre, the dairy farmer is advised to adopt the soiling system of dairying. It is only by this method he can realize his ideal of making one acre support one cow. The farmer will also find the rearing of the best of his heifer calves a very profitable undertaking, as there is a strong and growing demand for .young stock of good milking strain. [Page Tzcevtr] FARMING IN VANCOUVER ISLAND These will sell readily at remunerative prices, good grade cows being now worth from $80.00 to $100.00 each. For the dairy farmer, as well as the mixed farmer in general, pigs are a useful and profitable item. A farm with five to twelve cows or over has large quantities of skim milk to dispose of, and the best use to which it can be put is to turn it into fine dairy-fed pork, for which there is a heavy demand. A breeder can get $3.50 a head for six-week pigs, and many farmers instead of breeding pigs, buy them as soon as their cows come into milk. The live-weight value of dairy-fed hogs is about 9c a pound and the mixed farm that has a few brood sows can use up all its waste. Culled fruit, potatoes, and all kinds of farm and garden refuse make good pig-food. In summer the pigs make their own living by ranging over wild land, rooting and eating all sorts of grass, etc. They do good by cleaning land of bracken, digging deep and taking it out. Roots can be grown plentifully for the benefit of the pig in winter. When getting ready for sale meal is given along with other food. There is a splendid local market for pork in all the towns, and in Vancouver there are big packing houses which will take all the pigs that can be obtained. CHAPTER V. POULTRY No branch of farming pays better than poultry and eggs, and none begins to show profit more quickly. All the favorable conditions are here, and chickens are successful}- raised on nearly every farm. The great bulk of poultry produced on Vancouver Island is not from extensive poultry farms, but from small places, country homes or farms of a few acres. Fruit and poultry do so well together that wherever there are even a few fruit trees we find hens also. Their number need not be great, but even from the products of a small flock there [Page Twenty-One] FARMING IN VANCOUVER ISLAND is something on which the beginner in the country can depend. It is common in these districts to see chickens about the stumps of the newly-cut trees. This is a branch of farm work that the women and children can manage while the breadwinner earns their living. All sorts of fowl are found here—geese, turkeys, chickens, ducks, guinea fowl, and pigeons. There are conditions favorable for all. Table fowl sell from $7.00 to $12.00 per dozen wholesale. Chickens sell at from $4.00 to $8.00 per dozen wholesale. Ducks sell at from $8.00 to $10.00 per dozen wholesale. Geese sell at from $1.50 to $2.00 each wholesale. Turkeys sell at 28c to 30c per lb. wholesale. One must understand the business of poultry-keeping thoroughly to make a success of it, and for this reason it is best for a novice to begin slowly, learning as much as possible from good books on the subject and from poultry papers, and as he profits from experience, gradually enlarging his plant. The work is interesting and not hard, but requires very careful attention to details to ensure success. Nearly all failures in the poultry business can be attributed to persons beginning quickly on a large scale, before knowing thoroughly all the important points connected with this industry. Housing the birds can be done very reasonably in this climate, open wire front houses facing the south being found to give good satisfaction. Wheat comprises the bulk of the feed, besides which bran, beef scraps, and shell are generally fed; the latter can be had for the hauling in many places near the coast. As to breeds, White Wyandottes, Plymouth Rocks, and Rhode Island Reds will be found the best, while for a strictly "egg farm" the White Leghorns cannot be beaten; but whatever breed is determined on, a good laying strain should be- procured. Government bulletins on poultry farming are supplied free of charge, and the Vancouver Island Development League published a very practical treatise from the pen of a successful poultry farmer on the Island—this booklet can be had free by application to the Secretary. [Page Twenty-Two] FARMING IN VANCOUVER ISLAND CHAPTER VI. FRUIT GROWING Fruit farming in British Columbia has been much advertised, and for those who wish to take up this branch of endeavor, some phases of the business and some statistics are given—See Appendix D, page 43. We would wish, however, to warn the reader who proposes to go in for fruit exclusively against a too optimistic outlook. No settler should take up the growing of large fruits as a commercial undertaking unless he is prepared to plant at least 20 acres of good shipping varieties and can afford to wait until the trees come into bearing. The reason of this is that adequate profits only come to those who are able to ship fruit in carload lots, the profits in sending small consignments is very small. The disadvantages which apply to the growing and marketing of larger fruits do not affect the small fruit industry. Berry crops have the advantage of reaching maturity and giving profits the second year after planting. Strawberries, raspberries, loganberries, blackberries, black, red and white currants all grow well and produce large crops. Gooseberries also find a ready market. The greatest drawback is the labor required for picking, but in settled districts this is generally done by children, who are glad to earn pocket money. The settler can market at high prices a portion of his crop and sell the balance to a jam factory if one is in operation in the district, or if not he can bottle or jam the fruit himself, as all home made bottled fruit or jam commands a high price in town or country. Valuable information on all branches of fruit growing and packing is found in the Government publications, which are obtainable free of charge. [Page Twenty- Three] FARMING IN VANCOUVER ISLAND CHAPTER VII. FINANCING THE FARM It is most important that a man should not take up more land than he can work with the capital at his command, nor should the whole capital be sunk in land; money must be reserved to work it. No mortgage can be put on the land unless the title is in the name of the occupier, but the most practical plan is to buy no more land than there is money to pay for either at once or within three or four years, and to work meantime. Should new capital be required later, the holder will then be free to raise it by mortgage, and at the same time hold his property, which he cannot do by any of the instalment- purchase plans. It may be pointed out that, owing to the steady growth of population and the enormous trade increase which is bound to result from the opening of the Panama Canal (which will bring Vancouver 6.000 miles nearer to England by sea), land in Vancouver Island and the other parts of British Columbia adjoining the sea coast is bound to rise largely in value during the next few years. No risk therefore, is entailed by purchasing land at a reasonable price, and if in a few years' time the settler should wish to realize on his investment, he should be able to sell his holding at a good profit. It must not however, be supposed that you can purchase at Prairie values. The value of agricultural land on Vancouver Island cannot be compared to that of the Prairie Provinces. Vancouver Island is bound to be a densely settled country. The southern and midland portions are becoming popular districts for those whose means enable them to leave the strenuous life of the Prairies with its extremes of temperature, for the climate and beauties of the Island. It is reasonable, therefore, that the land should cost more than in other parts of Western Canada, but it is worth more. The isolation and solitude of the Prairie farms in Manitoba and the North West are a serious handicap. A family sees no new face for months [Page Twenty-Five] e lower picrure represeofs Fbe same Pype of land r>ear Parksville under profitable cuiriuarion, bofb " >ese properties re available for sel'Memenl' lo Clients of Vancouvf" Island Fruil' FARMING IN VANCOUVER ISLAND at a time, whereas in .Vancouver Island there is an attractive social life, and the pleasures of humanizing intercourse and sport, denied to the dweller in the remote plains of the mainland. These advantages alone would be worth paying for but on the business side also the higher price per acre of Vancouver Island will pay for itself in greater all round productivity, better climate and higher prices. A man could start a 20-acre forest farm with an available capital of about $3,000.00, of which at least $2,000.00 must be cash in hand. The following capital account represents the mean figures of four different estimates, the result of actual experience: Outlay required. Twenty acres at $40.00 per acre $ 800.00 Five acres cleared and stumped. $200.00.... 1000.00 Small house 400.00 Chicken houses and outbuildings 200.00 Furniture 125.00 Wagon and implements 150.00 Light horse 150.00 Pigs and chickens 50.00 Seeds and fruit trees 50.00 Fencing, gates and sundries 100.00 $3025.00 If only $2000.00 can be found in cash, a portion of the purchase price can usually be spread over a short term of years or obtained on mortgage at about 8 per cent. In considering these figures it must be remembered that all labor on clearing, stumping, building and fencing has been allowed for at the rate of $2.50 per day for axeman and $4.00 for carpenters, and the estimates are strictly based on what it would cost to take hold of a piece of average timbered land [Page Twenty-Eight] FARMING IN VANCOUVER ISLAND and establish a comfortable home, and a revenue producing property at short notice. A practical agriculturist, reading the above figures, will no doubt remark that by the time it is put into cultivation, land in Vancouver Island is not so cheap after all. He should however, remember that the initial cost of the land is of less importance than the question whether, from a piece of land that has cost a certain figure, when improved a substantial living can be made. This can be done undoubtedly on Vancouver Island, and while the settler can live comfortably on his land and have an assured income, his holding will increase in value and add to his capital. [Page Twenty-Nine] FARMING IN VANCOUVER ISLAND CHAPTER VIII. THE FIRST YEAR'S WORKING On taking up wild land the first difficulty confronting the beginner is how to make a start. On general principles we would recommend the following procedure. If his property is some distance from a hotel or boarding- house, he should purchase a tent and camp outfit, the whole of which should not cost more than $25.00 to $50.00. Having camped on his property, unless there is a running stream, the first thing to be done is to dig a well. Good water is found on all these lands at a depth of from 15 to 20 feet. The next thing is to clear a site for the house. In doing this it will probably be necessary to hire help or a team of horses to get the stumps out of the ground. For building the house a carpenter (who can be obtained locally) should be employed; for the better class of buildings we would advise architect's plans and specifications,, which can be obtained at our office, but for the simpler forms of bungalows the local carpenters will give plans and estimates and make all arrangements for lumber and building materials. The new settler might assist in the building, but unless he is a carpenter he Avill find it more profitable to start a vegetable garden for home use. By the time the house is ready for occupation he should have got sites prepared for such outbuildings as he intends to erect. As soon as these are completed he will be in a position to get a cow, a few laying hens and maybe a pig, but he must remember that for all these he will have to buy locally, at the start, a certain amount of feed. The next undertaking is to commence clearing a few acres of ground around the house. How to do this is fully explained in a bulletin on land clearing issued free by the Provincial Agricultural Department. [Page Thirty-One] FARMING IN VANCOUVER ISLAND A Royal Commission on Agriculture is now collecting evidence as to the best method by which the Government can help the farming industry, and there is no doubt that one of their recommendations will be that Government assistance in some form or other should be given the settler to help him clear his land. The great thing .to remember is that as much land as possible should be cleared and ready for spring sowing. The extent of this will vary with the settler, those who can devote all their time to it and can pay for hired labor should by the end of the first year have quite a few acres under cultivation, whereas the settler who has meanwhile to earn his daily bread by outside work and can devote only his spare time to his own property must not expect much more than a small vegetable garden. No new settler should expect to be able during the first year to make a living off his holding of wild land. Till he has brought some of it under cultivation he can nearly always obtain work either as a farm hand (in which case he would get board and lodging in addition to wages—see Appendix G. page 47) or else working in the lumber mills or on Government roads, or possibly casual labor for a certain number of days each week. During all this time he will not only be able to put by some money but will also be utilizing his spare time in converting his holding into a revenue producing property. Unless the settler has his own team it is better to hire a man to plough the first clearing. The soil, according to locality, may require a dressing of lime or chemical fertilizer, but it is important that newly broken virgin soil be well worked so as to expose it to the air. What to plant on the clearing is a matter for individual taste, fruit trees and berry bushes might be planted with a view to future profit and meanwhile vegetables for home use could be grown between them, but the main idea should be to grow firstly such things as are necessary for home consumption and afterwards produce for the market. [Page Thirty-T-u'o] FARMING IN VANCOUVER ISLAND CHAPTER IX. FAMILY LIFE ON THE ISLAND—EDUCATION The Alberni and East Coast districts of Vancouver Island are neither pioneer lands nor lonely tracts. When a man moves his family into this comparatively new country in order to establish a home, he need not wait for the advantages of civilization to follow him. Roads have been constructed. Schools and churches are established. Post offices are within easy reach. All the facilities of business are at the settler's disposal. A well supplied general store can always be found, also good hotel accommodation. Families have all the social environment which would be theirs in other communities. Nature repays bountifully the labors of the settler; when his day's work is done she provides as generously for his recreation. It is to be expected and hoped that most settlers on these farms will be family men. The facilities for bringing up and educating children are therefore important. A grave wrong would be done to them if they were taken where schools were lacking or inferior. Men have been rightly deterred by this consideration from taking up pioneer work in the interior. The education available is equal if not better than in any other part of rural Canada or U. S. A. Every child from 7 to 14 years old must attend school, and all public schools, including secondary schools, are free. The Government builds a school house, pays a teacher, and provides for incidental expenses in every district where 20 children between the ages of 6 and 16 can be brought together, and the Public Instruction Authority has power to assist schools where there are even as many as ten children. Contiguous areas can combine in order to bring together the necessary number of pupils to earn the Government grant. The Council of Public Instruction is authorized by the law to grant a subsidy towards a Schoolhouse where there are less than 20 pupils. In practice, there are educational facilities, provided either by Government or by [Page Thirty-Three] FARMING IN VANCOUVER ISLAND local funds for all children, and the spirit of the law is that education is compulsory and universal. There are high schools at Victoria, Duncan, Ladysmith and Nanaimo, and one is to be established at Alberni, and there are many excellent private boarding schools to which the older children can be sent as they grow up, funds being provided through the progressive prosperity of the farm. The colleges of Victoria and Vancouver are affiliated to McGill University, Montreal, and the Legislature recently passed an Act providing for the establishment of a University of British Columbia. The buildings are already in course of erection at Point Grey, the choice residential municipality of Vancouver City, and 2,000,000 acres of public land have been set apart to provide, by their sale, an endowment fund for this great educational establishment. Progress is the note of the whole idea of migration to Vancouver Island. Settlers are not expected to be rich when they land. In a large majority of cases their whole capital is laid out on the purchase of a farm and the reserve fund necessary to work it. Little by little however, as more and more land is brought under the plough, the income increases, debt is paid off, and money begins to be deposited in the bank. There is thus a surplus for education ; the children who while young went to the rural school provided by the Government, can presently be transferred to a high school or one of the colleges in Victoria or Vancouver, which are within easy reach; later, they will go to a University. To the small farmer in England the idea of sending his sons to a University seems visionary, but the teaching here does not unfit them for following their parents' life. On the contrary, classes in scientific agriculture, on the chemistry of soils, and on similar subjects, send them home as valuable assets in the improvement of the family fortunes. Some of course take up professions, and thus it will come about that a man who went out with no more capital than a stout heart, a good wife, and a pair of strong hands, will have earned a farm, added to it, and educated his family, till, in his [Page Thirty-Five] FARMING IN VANCOUVER ISLAND later years, he has doctors, lawyers, or clergymen among his sons, while others are enlarging and improving the freeholds which his own courage and industry enabled him to acquire for them. RECREATION AND SPORT Apart from home gardening, lawn tennis, and the other amusements (which can all be made available if the settler will take the trouble to provide them for his family), Vancouver Island affords an almost unlimited variety of field sports. The opportunities for fishing and shooting are unsurpassed, and for general and varied outdoor recreation the island has no equal on the continent. This may sound exaggerated, but it is literally true. For the motorist there are splendid roads leading in different directions from the cities, and some of these, particularly the famous Island drive, are not exceeded anywhere in the world for rugged grandeur and striking beauty. The run from Victoria to the Alberni district, by the Island and Canadian highways, is a scenic marvel. The golf player will find in Victoria, Duncan and Ouali- cum, links which rival the best on the continent. He can indulge in his favorite sport all the year round without any discomfort, and at least ten months out of the twelve under ideal conditions. Cricket, tennis, football, Government rifle range shooting. hockey, lacrosse, baseball, bowling on the green, motor-boating, yachting, canoeing, trap-shooting, bicycling, riding, driving, sea-bathing and sailing are among the sports and pastimes which can be followed during the year, and indeed there is not a month in which sport of various kinds is not available. Appendix I (page 51 et seq.) contains a detailed account of the field sports and fishing available in Vancouver Island, which is resorted to by wealthy residents on the mainland of British Columbia, and also by visitors from Eastern Canada and the United States, for sport which the settler will find either at his own door or within easy reach. [Page Tliirly-Sez-en] FARMING IN VANCOUVER ISLAND CHAPTER X. WHO SHOULD GO TO VANCOUVER ISLAND First comes the man who has made his money on the Prairies, and no longer finds it necessary to work for a living, but intends to enjoy the rest of his life in a pleasant climate with congenial surroundings. Next the man who by homesteading in the Northwest is able to command a small amount of capital and now wishes to continue farming nearer civilization. Following him is the man who on account of his own health or that of his family is unable to stand the severe winters of Eastern and Northern Canada, and last, but by no means least, the tradesman and unskilled worker. All these types are keenly desired as settlers, and all can find a prosperous and happy home on the Island. But we want to lay special emphasis on the opportunity presented to the last named. There are thousands of men who earn good wages all spring, summer and autumn, and whose savings might profitably be employed in starting a farm, whereas too often they are eaten up by the expense of living in the cities during the winter months, when they find it difficult to obtain employment. [Page Thirty-Eight] FARMING IN VANCOUVER ISLAND APPENDIX A. CLIMATIC CONDITIONS IN VANCOUVER ISLAND TEMPERATURE, RAINFALL, SNOWFALL. AND BRIGHT SUNSHINE AT VICTORIA, VANCOUVER ISLAND, FOR 1910-12. 1910 1911 1912 Aver. Temperature 49.6 48.8 50.3 . 35.36 inches 22.5 inches 29.5 inches Yearly Snowfall.... . 8.8 inches 16.35 inches 3.2 inches Bright Sunshine . 1878 hrs. 36 mh i. 1932 hrs. 36 min. 1661 hrs. 12 min The Tables for 1912 given below show the equability of temperature and ratio of rainfall and precipitation. It will be seen that even in November, December, January, and February, there is considerable bright sunshine registered. The equability of all these conditions have been generally the same for the past twenty years, and because of the intersection of the isothermal lines, cannot be otherwise than perr ent. Living conditions, therefore, are u lequalled in Vancouver Island. TEMPERATURE, PRECIPITATION AND BRIGHT SUNSHINE, MONTH BY MONTH (1912). 1912. Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May June July Aug. Sep . Oct. Nov. Dec. Tear. Highest temperature 52.5 53.9 5S.3 6LS 84.2 S5.9 Lowest temperature 23.5 2S.5 27.2 30.2 37.9 41.2 7.1 IL "i 3'_33 Tm 35S4 °l'% Duration of Bright 1S.30 193.06 1S6.5 H7.42 32.4S 2,54 1,1.12 In reducing snowfall to rain, 1 inch of snow ■ eauivalent to 0. The above are figures for one year. from 1902 to 1911 at Victoria show'that is 50.06 degrees. The highest summer and the lowest 38.6 degrees. Lowest a-i degrees and the highest 53.16 degrees. 25.57 inches, and the snowfall 8.68 Whe The recorc the yearly a erage winter The yearlj s of the ten years -erage temperature was 88.5 degrees temperature 28.07 rainfall averages [Page Thirty-Xine] • FARMING IN VANCOUVER ISLAND as yearlings at from $80 to $100. There is a good demand for Hackneys. Light, useful horses can be purchased from S150 up. Pigs. Pigs pay well and are good scavengers, thriving on culled fruit and skim-milk, or they can be safely turned loose on wild land. They will practically make their own living while doing an immense amount of good to the land, turning it up deep and taking out the bracken. Roots can be grown with profit for winter feed, but in getting ready for sale some meal is fed also. Young pigs sell at about six weeks old for $4 each. Dairy-fed hogs sell (live-weight) at from 9c. to 10c. per lb. and the average price of dressed pork for the past few years has been 16c. per lb. Sheep. The late Dr. A. T. "Watt, who kept the largest flock of South- downs in the Province, writes:— '.'Nowhere in Canada is there to be found so equable a climate or an environment so suitable for sheep as in the area comprised in the southern end of Vancouver Island. Nowhere on the Continent do sheep thrive better than in the country bordering- the North Pacific. Recent reports show that in the adjacent State of Washington the average wool clip per sheep was 8yi lbs.—the highest in the United States, 'the sheep kept in British Columbia are mostly of the medium or short- woolled breeds, since the greatest profit here is in mutton. There is, however, a consensus of opinion that, for such sheep, the wool clip averages high." Mr. J. D. Reid, of "Glenrosa," owner of a registered flock of Oxford Down sheep, says:— "I have always found sheep farming most profitable. With ordinary care and judicious management 120 per cent, lambs may be depended upon, and fat lambs readily realize $5 per head. Hand feeding is rarely necessary, and the expense of running a flock of sheep is small." Mutton commands a price ranging from 15c. to 22c. per lb. Hay. Rye grass, orchard grass, timothy, red clover and oat hay yield about 2 to 3 tons per acre, and the price averages $20 per ton. Oats. Oats yield from 40 to 60 bushels per acre, selling at prices from $25 to $30 per ton of 60 bushels. Potatoes. Potatoes yield from 6 to 8 tons per acre, or with chemical fertilizer up to 10 or 12 tons. The following figures show what has been done on Island farms:— "Nine-tenths of an acre of bottom land produced 12 tons; 3 lbs. seed potatoes produced 68 lbs.; 60 lbs. Earlv Thoroughbred produced 1.500 lbs." Hops. Hops have been grown with great success in the Duncan and Cowichan districts. Peas. Peas produce from 30 to 40 bushels per acre, and sell at $3.00 per bushel. Consulting "Agricultural Statistics, 1912," published by the Department of Agriculture, we find the average yield per acre for various crops on Vancouver Island to be as follows: — Wheat 29.5 bushels Hay 2.2 tons Oats 62.1 " Potatoes 7.2 Barley 33.7 " Other root-crops 9.7 Rye 24.0 " Other crops 12.6 " Grain hay 2.0 tons Market-garden crops 11.5 [Page Forty-Two] FARMING IN VANCOUVER ISLAND APPENDIX D. WORKING DETAILS FOR FRUIT FARMERS ON VANCOUVER ISLAND The cost of purchasing 20 acres of land on the terms offere this Company, and of setting out 10 acres has worked out in pra as follows:— TWENTY ACRES: TEN SET OUT IN FRUIT Twenty acres at $40 per acre ! Ten acres cleared and stumped at $200 House costing at the rate of: one room, $200; two rooms. $350; three rooms, $500; five rooms, $900 (say three-roomed) Furniture Outhouses Wagon and implements Horse Preparing land for trees Cost of trees. 480 at 25c. each Setting out at 10c. each Fencing and gates Incidentals The following are conservative with trees in the older settled distr the following periods respectively:— Just planted $300 Three years $600 One year 400 Four years 800 Two years 500 Five years 1000 = the establishment as outlined at the be- >e worth approximately as follows:— $11,250 Then ten acres adjoining the orchard, which have only been partially cleared through the household wood supplies having been cut from them, will be worth at least $100 per acre, which brings the value of the establishment to $12,250. which should throughout the life, of the owner vield a net income, after all expenses have been paid, of at least $1,000 per annum. As no returns can be expected from the trees for at least five years, it will be necessary to make expenses by growing root crops, small fruits, onions, etc., and by keeping poultry and pigs. [Page Forty-Three] FARMING IN VANCOUVER ISLAND APPENDIX E. IMPORTS OF FARM PRODUCE INTO BRITISH COLUMBIA 1912 10,368 Horses $1,508,720 11,500 Cattle — beef 690,000 1.804 Cattle — dairy 182.030 229.610 Sheep 867,890 3,131 Swine 47,005 3,326.595 lbs. of Poultry 548,787 Total value of Live Stock . 7.070.000 lbs. of Butter 1,414,000 3,718.857 lbs. of Cheese 580,984 2,090,000 gallons Milk 629,000 Total value of Dairy Produce 4,348,437 lbs. Bacon, Ham, etc 728.166 4.854.869 lbs. Mutton, Lamb 447,569 6.884.287 lbs. Pork 1.140.331 2.420.620 lbs. Lard 332,748 Total value of Meats 11.464.230 lbs. of Apples 256,324 7.594.150 lbs. other Fruits 265,663 172,987 lbs. Berries 92,941 tal value of Fruits . 5,616.000 doz. Eggs .. 515,889 lbs. Honey Total value of Eggs and Honey 1,398,575 704,899 lbs. Malt 18,024 103,800 tons Hay 1.710,982 2,410,810 bush. Grain, Barley, Wheat, Oats, Rye 2.397,675 Nursery Stock 149,136 Miscel.—Canned Meats, Jams, etc 396.995 Total 4,672,812 Total imports of Farm Produce for 1912.... $15,803,545 Referring to the above figures, the imports of butter and milk for the year 1912 increased by 2^4 million pounds and lyi million gallons respectively over the figures for the previous year, proving how increasingly great is the demand for dairy produce. [Page Forty-Four] FARMING IN VANCOUVER ISLAND POULTRY—OFFICIAL STATISTICS The following statistics of poultrv production and import into ish Columbia for the year 1912 are furnished by the Government:— HOME PRODUCTIONS Quantitv. Value. 5,404.000 lbs. SI. 351.000 Eggs 3,437,750 doz. 1,203.212 IMPORTED FROM OTHER PROVINCES IN CANADA Quantitv. Value. 2,344,595 lbs. S 422,027 Eggs 1,872.000 doz. 46S.000 IMPORTED FROM POINTS OUTSIDE CANADA Quantitv. Value. Poultrv 982.000 lbs. 3.744.000 doz. S 126.760 Eggs 823,680 TOTAL Quantitv. Value. Poultry' Eggs 7,730,595 lbs. 9,053,750 doz. $1,899,787 2,494.892 These figures indicate the Vancouver Island. splendid opportunity or the poultryman On comparing the above with the figures for the previous year we find that although the population has increased bv nearly 100,000. the imports of poultry have decreased by 2.310,220 lbs., showing the remarkable strides that this industry is making on the Island. [Page Forty-Five] FARMING IN VANCOUVER ISLAND APPENDIX F. CURRENT PRICES (RETAIL) OF FOOD COMMODITIES IN BRITISH COLUMBIA (JULY. 1913) Flour, per sack. 50 pounds $1.90 Bran, per sack. 100 pounds $1.40 Wheat, per sack. 100 pounds .$1.75 to $2.50 Oats, per sack, 100 pounds .... . $1.50 to $1.70 Barley, per sack. 100 pounds $1.50 to $1.70 SI6.00 to S20.00 Celery, two heads 10c. Onions, per 7 lbs 25c Potatoes, per sack $2.00 Potatoes, new. 4 pounds 25c. Cauliflowers, each 25c. to 30c. Cabbage, per pound 2c. Asparagus, per pound 35c. to 40c. Eggs per dozen 40c. Cheese, per pound ... 20c. to 30c. Butter, per pound 40c. to 50c. Oranges, per dozen 25c. to 50c. Lemons, per dozen 20c. to 30c. Apples, 40 pounds .$1.25 to $2.50 Raisins, per pound .... 25c. to 60c. Bananas, per dozen 30c. to 40c. Cod. fresh, per pound 10c. Cod. salt, pei pound ....10c. to 15c. Halibut, fresh, per pound .... 10c. to 15c. Halibut, smoked 20c. Salmon, fresh, per pound 10c. to 15c. Salmon, smoked 20c. Oysters, per dozen 40c. to 50c. Shrimps, per pound 25c. to 30c. Smelts, per pound .... 10c. to 15c. Herring, per pound 10c. Finnan Haddie. per pound .... 15c. Beef, per pound 15c. to 30c. Lamb, per pound 20c. to 30c. Mutton, per lb 15c. to 25c. Lamb, forequarter . $1.50 to $2.00 Lamb, hindquarter $2.25 to $3.00 Veal, per pound Geese. Ducks, Chickens, per pound 30c. Fowls, live weight, per pounc 13c. to 15c. Ham, per pound 26c. Bacon, per pound .... 32c. to 35c. Pork, fresh, per pound .... 20c. to 25c. Lard, per pound '■ 25c- [Page Forty-Six] FARMING IN VANCOUVER ISLAND APPENDIX G. VANCOUVER ISLAND FOR WORKING MEN For rea sons o-iven in the text the comp lers of his wor c are exceed- ingly desire us of attracting to \ ancouver Island working men. whe ther skilled or unskilled About all that s demar eled of hem is that they shall be ambitious and hard-working. The m an with a trade has. naturallv, advantages; bu t character is mor 5 important than skill. There is opportun ty for all. a nd a man of grit and de erminat on can look forward to a great degre e ot prosperity. A voung couple, pre pared to show enterpris - and self-denial. t an do f .m..uslv most anxiot s to get mar ried families on to the Ian d. There 1 s seldom an ' lack of work in Vancou ver Isla nd from the beginning o : March to the end of October. Carpen ters ear -l $4 per day. and unskille d workmen $2.50 per day of ni te hours . The c ost of board and lodging while at work need not exceed $30 per month, or less than that if the circumstances admit of the workman cooking for himself. Allowing $10 for travelling and $20 for personal expenses, the following statement shows what cash balance would appear at his credit at the end of October, allowing for 10 off-days in 35 working weeks. A Carpenter:— 35 working weeks of 6 days, less 10 off-days: 200 days at $4.00 per day $800 00 Eight months' board and lodging, at S30 per month $240 00 Travelling and incidentals 50 00 290 00 Amount saved in eight months $510 00 Unskilled Workmen:— 35 working weeks of 6 days, less 10 off-davs: 200 days at $2.50 per day S500 00 Eight months' board and lodging at $30 per month S240 00 Travelling and incidentals 50 00 290 00 Amount saved in eight months $210 00 Many unskilled workmen earn $3 per day of 10 hours, and first- class carpenters $5.00 per day of 9 hours. Farm hands get from $30 to $45 per month with board and lodging. Granting that the ambition of the reader is to acquire a ten-acre selection and to occupj- the periods of off-work in clearing and preparing it to produce whatever he has fixed his mind upon as a source of income later, the tables given in these Appendices show approximately what amount of capital is required. [Page Forty-Seven] FARMING IN VANCOUVER ISLAND HOW TO EARN LAND WITH LITTLE CAPITAL Any of the reputable land companies will help a bona-fide settler by agreeing to sell him a small selection of land on long terms of payment, such as one-fifth of the value in cash and the balance in five equal annual payments, the balance unpaid bearing interest at 7 per cent, per annum as offered by this Company. A man with an initial capital of $250 working at the farm hands' wage of $30 a month for eight months of the year, paying $80 on account of ten acres in advance and a furrlur S< 4'a; ;'v :,",^ianuv ■.' :be second year, may reasonably anticipate the following results if he does effective work on his ranch during the four months when he is not working for wages. He can erect a temporary cabin which can be turned into an outhouse later on, and if the land is not heavily timbered, he can make at least one acre ready for planting. His cash account would stand as follows Dr. Capital at outset $250 00 Provisions 4 months on Wages earned 8 months at own farm at $17.50 S70 00 $30.00 240 00 Personal expenses 50 00 Two instalments on land 144 00 Interest 23 00 Cabin and fittings 100 00 Tent, tools and utensils 60 00 Cash in hand 43 00 $490 00 $490 00 His balance sheet would show the following:— Assets. Liabilities. Cash in hand $43 00 Debt outstanding on land $256 00 Cabin, Tent, Tools, furni- Capital account 531 00 ture, less 10 per cent. depreciation 144 00 Land, 10 acres at cost 400 00 Increased value of 1 acre cleared and stumped .... 200 00 $787 00 $787 00 So that in twelve months his capital has increased from $250 to $531. During the first years the energies of the settler will be taken up in earning the money to pay off the debt on the land, and four months each year will be spent in carrying out improvements. At the end pi five years, if not earlier, he should arrive at the point where he can launch out and make his income from the land itself. A study of the figures given under "Mixed Farming," "Poultry," and "Fruit Growing" will show what can be done under the conditions now obtaining. His ten acres will have been paid for; he. will have the title in his own hands. At least six acres will be in cultivation, or ready [Page Forty-Eight] FARMING IN VANCOUVER ISLAND Six acres cleared land partly planted S1500 00 Four acres unimproved 200 00 Other improvements 150 00 The plan outlined can be carried out successfully by any man. and better still by a young married couple, if the wife is \ go out into service for the first three years and contribute her to the family pot. For those so situated the following figures are. given:— Wages of domestic servants:— General servants, from Housemaids Plain cooks S20 to $30 Good nurses S20 to S30 Extra good cooks $25 to $35 " Girls of 16, $15 per month and board. There is a good reception home for girls at the Y.W.C.A. offices, corner Douglas and Broughton Streets, Victoria. APPENDIX H. SOILS OF VANCOUVER ISLAND The different types of soil encountered in Vancouver Island vary considerably in character. TIDAL MARSH This type of soil is found along the coast, especially at the heads of the inlets, which indent the West coast of the island. It supports a heavy growth of marsh grass, and the surface is sometimes composed of a thick layer of partially decomposed fibrous organic matter formed from the decay of this vegetation. Areas of this land when properly dyked and drained are very prolific. BOTTOM LANDS Bottom lands are divided into the following sub-classes:— Beaver Dam. These areas represent deep accumulation of organic matter at various stages of decomposition, formed by the damming back of small streams by the industrious little animals. The conditions favoring willows and other water growth, also the killing by drowning FARMING IN VANCOUVER ISLAND of the larger of vegetable matter, brought down by the the growth of onions hich in time fall and rot, add to the accumulation hich being decomposed and mixed with silt reams, produces when drained an ideal soil for elery, oats, and the bramble fruits. There are Alberni Valley. Alder Bottoms. The black soil, rich in humus, : has been formed by the rotting of the fallen leaves < which always favors places underlain with clay. these River Bottoms. The very productive and ar« farming lands. The soil vegetable matter reposin the last-mentioned sub-s the large fruits on botto Alberni lands occupying the river valleys are considered to embrace the most valuable is generally composed of silt and decomposed ; on a gravel sub-soil. With the exception of )il the settler should never attempt to grow BENCH LANDS These : divided i > twc classe (1) Light sandy loam on a gravel sub-soil. We have here the ideal condition for all the large fruits, such-as apples, plums, pears and peaches. The drainage so vital to the welfare of fruit-trees is assured, and with proper and sufficient cultivation the careful grower will net a handsome return. Where the land is too light and gravelly for fruit, the chicken-house should be. located. (2) The second class of bench land is the red and chocolate loam resting on a clay sub-soil. There are thousands of acres of this land in the Alberni Valley and on the East coast of Vancouver Island. The first settlers rarely tried to clear and cultivate these tracts, as they were not so easily cleared as the. alder bottom and willow- Experience is proving that these lands amply repay cultival clay breaks up freely and mixes with the sandy loam in the : portion. These shot clay soils produce the heaviest crops i which, when, ploughed in. add the necessary humus to the s is the all-purpose soil of Vancouver Island, and is suitable for the cultivation of small fruits, vegetables of all kinds, forage crops, and, when well drained, the larger fruits. We have had analysed, at the University of Washington, Pullman (by the method adopted by the Association of Agricultural Chemists) specimens of the soil at varying depths from twelve different localities on these farm lands. The report not only shows percentage of Potash, Lime, Phosphoric Acid and Nitrogen, but also contains valuable information regarding nature and quantity of chemical fertilizers that advantageously applied to certain soils which portion of some of the critical elements of pi; All this information and the suitability o various nature of soils is at the disposal of ne- ion. The deal pro- This . low pro- FARMING IN VANCOUVER ISLAND APPENDIX I. SPORT AND FISHING IN VANCOUVER ISLAND GAME FISH The game fish of the Isiand include some of the best sporting varieties. Practically speaking, all the streams and lakes contain trout of some kind or other, chiefly the rainbow or cut-throat varieties. Very large fish are caught in the bigger lakes b3r trolling, but there is no trout water in British Columbia where the fish will not take a fly. Larger fish are caught on the fly as a general rule in the streams than in the lakes. In the. heat of midsummer when the rivers are low and fly-fishing is hardly practicable except in the early evening, excellent sport is given by sea trout in the sea-run fish average heavy; two-pounders being common, tnree-pounaers by no means rare, and four and even-six-pounders occasionally caught. As a general rule, they take a Ay well even in the salt water. Several varieties of Pacific salmon run in millions all along the coasts of Vancouver Island. Of these the "Spring" salmon are the finest table fish and attain to the greater weight, although average weight depends a good deal on locality, as is the case in other salmon countries. The best known and handiest-reached places on Vancouver Island for the biggest type salmon are Campbell River and Comox on the east coast and Alberni and Nootka Sound on the west Coast, fifty- pounders being common at all of these places. Twenty to thirty- pound fish are common in any of the estuaries when the run of "Springs" is on. "Spring" salmon are caught in these waters practically all the year round. In February and March there is a run to the rivers, but the big run comes in August, September and October, varying in date according to locality. There is a run of small cohoes in May and June, but these early fish, although very game, do not average very large. The big run of cohoes does not arrive as a rule until the latter part of September, when their number is legion all over the coast, and the sport they give is superior for their size to that yielded by the Springs as the}' play more on the surface. The Autumn cohoe is about nine pounds in weight on the average. That British Columbia salmon will not take a fly is a fallacy which was long since disproved. Both spring salmon and cohoes are caught in considerable numbers every season by anglers who know how and where to use a salmon fly, and give splendid sport in suitable waters. The expert with a spinning bait will be able to kill many large fish in the rivers. Most of the fishing for salmon here is in the forr sea with a spoon, by which means the veriest t3-ro i; fine salmon. Another fine fish is the Steelhead. classed by different authorities as salmon or trout. It attains a large weight and gives very fine sport on a good-sized salmon fly expertly fished. [Page Fifty-One] FARMING IN VANCOUVER ISLAND Island, but ha\ SHOOTING For sport with dog and gun there are pheasants, willow grouse, blue grouse, snipe, quail, brant, the Canada wild goose, and duck. The pheasants are Chinese ring-necks, and the Government (which restricts the. shooting by law to cock birds) has lately been hatching and turning out true Mongolian pheasants. In Vancouver Island they appear to have proved satisfactory', but they are still experimental. By the nature of the country, the man who makes a good bag of game works hard for it, but this is one of the fascinations of the sport to most sportsmen out here, who are not looking for enormous bags of game found and driven to their guns by beaters, but take a zest and pleasure in the hard work of a long day with a favorite four-footed friend. A man who wants luxury with his shooting is little likely to be suited with what Vancouver Island has to offer him, but the man who takes a delight in vigorous, outdoor exercise in the company of a good dog, with an excellent chance of a fair bag of game, can get it at any Willow Grouse (the local name for Ruffed Grouse) are common all over the Island. In the early part of the season the birds frequent the swamps and thickets, where they are difficult to get at, but, when found, are apt to play into the hands of the pot hunter by the. way they have of perching in the trees and staying there until he spots and takes pot-shots at them. Later on, however, when the swamps become overflowed, they take to higher and more open ground, when the sport they afford over a good dog is by most British Columbia sportsmen considered the best shown by any of the game birds. The Blue Sooty, or Blue Grouse, is a timber bird which is plentiful, particularly in the. places in the hills where there are bare patches of rock among the tall timber. Shot on level ground over dogs, the blue grouse is not a particularly hard bird to hit, but among timber, and especially on steep hillsides, where they invariably fly down-hill at a great pace, they afford shooting which is difficult to beat for its sporting quality. Quail provide very fine sport with a good setter; and snipe can be found in field ditches in November and December. Canada geese and wild duck are shot, like quail, over decoys. BIG GAME Larger game, such as deer, can be found in remoter districts, and an expedition after bear will not come back empty-handed. Deer- hunting with dogs is illegal, and the Wapiti, or American elk, is protected altogether for a term of years. Black and grey wolves can be found in the northern and north-western parts of the Island, and they fetch a Government bounty of fifteen dollars a head. The panther, or mountain lion (cougar) yields a handsome skin; but it ranks as vermin rather than game, the Provincial Government paying the same bounty as for wolves. To hunt these fine beasts it is necessary to hire a guide, who will furnish suitable dogs, and this sport, like the pursuit of the black bear, has the spice of danger which to many sportsmen is an unequalled attraction. [Page Fifty-Two]
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Farming in Vancouver Island Vancouver Island Fruit Lands (B.C.) 1910
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Item Metadata
Title | Farming in Vancouver Island |
Creator |
Vancouver Island Fruit Lands (B.C.) |
Publisher | London : J. J. Keliher & Co. |
Date Issued | 1910 |
Description | "Also: [Updated. 1913?) Also: [1913 or 14?) 52 p. ill us., map, tables. 24 cm. On back cover: The Hutcharm Company [a Victoria advertising service) Agents for United Kingdom and Belgium: The Western Pacific Development Company Limited, London, Eng. For advertisement for this publication by Western Pacific Development Company see no. 3988."-- Edwards, M. H., Lort, J. C. R., & Carmichael, W. J. (1975). A bibliography of British Columbia: Years of growth, 1900-1950. Victoria, BC: University of Victoria, p. 298. |
Extent | 52 pages : photographs, maps ; 27 cm |
Subject |
Agriculture--British Columbia--Vancouver Island British Columbia--Economic conditions |
Genre |
Books |
Type |
Text |
FileFormat | application/pdf |
Language | English |
Notes | Missing pages 40-41. Other Copies: http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/415488725 |
Identifier | S142.V2 V2 III-3763 |
Collection |
British Columbia Historical Books Collection |
Source | Original Format: Greater Victoria Public Library. 630.9711 V223F |
Date Available | 2015-05-15 |
Provider | Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library |
Rights | Images provided for research and reference use only. For permission to publish, copy, or otherwise distribute these images please contact digital.initiatives@ubc.ca. |
CatalogueRecord | http://resolve.library.ubc.ca/cgi-bin/catsearch?bid=1564675 |
AIPUUID | 4674cce2-efb6-435a-ac59-e72dc8b7abd6 |
DOI | 10.14288/1.0222106 |
AggregatedSourceRepository | CONTENTdm |
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