REPORT OF TUE CHEMIST 185 



SESSIONAL PAPER No. 16 



The Saanicli Peninsula, though containing a considerable area of rough, 

 rocky and uncleared land^ will undoubtedly become an important fruit growing dis- 

 trict. Of all branches of agriculture it seems best adapted to this industry and from 

 the acreage now being planted to fruit it will not be long before there is a consider- 

 able amount of produce for export. Apples, plums, cherries and strawberries — especi- 

 ally tliG latter— do exceedingly well and no doubt other fruits will be added to tlie 

 list. Hitherto the land has been tilled chiefly in patches along the valleys, but the 

 probabilities are that the slopes and higher grounds will be found even more suitable, 

 chiefly by reason of the better drainage there afforded. In the lower lands potatoes 

 and oats have up to this time been the main crops, to the detriment of the soil from 

 depletion of humus and nitrogen and the loss of water-holding capacity. It is not 

 unusual for this district in common v.-ith a large area in this pan of the island to 

 suffer from drought during the mouths of July and August. Hence, the necessity 

 for fruit and vegetables of early and constant cultivation to form an earth mulch to 

 check surface evaporation. Orcliards in sod were found, as might be expected, to be 

 a failure. All classes of soil were noticed, light, sandy and gravelly loams, clays and 

 muck soils. The desirability of growing more clover, which succeeds admirably hero, 

 was pointed out for the two former, and the advantage of tile drainage for the 

 heavier lands emphasized. 



Meichosln. — The drive to Metchosin, which lie^to the south of Victoria, was largely 

 through a heavily timbered country containing many very fine trees. For the most 

 part, the clearings seemed small and oats appeared to be the principal crop. The pre- 

 mature ripening of this grain gave evidence of the dry season, and examination of* 

 many of the soils showed that the effect of the drought had been accentuated by the 

 small proportion of humus present. These matters furnished subjects for the address 

 in the evening, in which was pointed out the desirability of adopting a rotation that 

 would from time to time furnish humus. The value of cultivation and mulching for 

 conserving moisture was also dwelt upon. This is a district in which as yet very 

 little fruit planting has been done. With more attention to enrichment of the land, 

 cultivation and mulching, however, there is no reason why this industry of fruit 

 growing should not be more largely entered upon. 



Pitt Meadows. — This was the first district visited on the mainland, being reached 

 via Westminster Junction, where we were met by appointment by Mr. John Oliver, 

 M.L.A. Mr. Oliver had been in correspondence with me for some time, giving me his 

 experience regarding this district and forwarding samples of soil for analysis. He 

 had made a special request that I should visit the ' Meadows ' when next I went to 

 British Columbia. 



Pitt Meadows, situated at the confluence of the Pitt with the Fraser river, is of 

 deltaic origin — the result of the deposition of the alluvial detritus brought down by 

 the Pitt river. The ' Meadows ' has an approximate area of 15,000 acres. A description 

 of the soil formation by Mr. Oliver is as follows : ' The foundation on which this soil 

 rests is first a quicksand found at a depth of from 8 to 10 feet from the surface, next 

 follows a true river sediment on the top of which is soil composed largely of decayed 

 vegetable matter mixed with river deposit; the nearer the surface the less river de- 

 posit is contained in the soil. In some places the river deposit shows on the surface, 

 but there is an average depth of about a foot of muck and then follows the mixture of 

 decayed vegetable matter with the river deposit.' 



In traversing this area, or ratljer a limited portion of it, the writer found a con- 

 siderable portion of the surface soil to be a silt of fine mechanical condition and rich 

 in semi-decayed vegetable matter. As Mr. Oliver had pointed out, however, there 

 were also large areas covered with muck deposits. These occurred in natural depres- 

 sions in the Meadows and according to our measurements varied from 2 to 18 inches 

 in depth, the greater number of our trial pits indicating depths of from 9 to 12 inches, 

 the muck everywhere being underlaid by the river deposit. In many places there was 



