98 BULLETIN OF THE NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY. 



The floating canal has greatly increased in size since it was dug 

 and has worn into the mud from two to four feet. On the more 

 southerly branch of the Tantramar, at Goose Lake, hay has been cut 

 for seventy years. Moss is again growing on this lake and surround- 

 ing lands, and large tracts are having their fertility ruined. The 

 more energetic farmers are digging wide ditches and using the rich 

 marsh soil thus obtained as a fertilizer. Good results are in this way 

 secured. 



The Aulac river has not been so well handled. The Trueman and 

 Etter aboideaus have much reduced the size of the river. The system 

 of lakes at the head of LaCoup stream is shut off from the tide. The 

 rail and carriage I'oads cross the river on the Etter Aboideau. Only 

 at a great cost could the river be again opened and the natural fertili- 

 zers carried to the Point de Bute marshes. Not only this, but some 

 of the lakes on La Coup have been turned down the Tantramar, and 

 even were the stream opened, the basin above into which it might 

 throw its waters would be much reduced. 



Formation of Lake and Bog. — One naturally wonders how all these 

 lakes w r ere formed, and what led to the tremendous growth of moss. 

 The building up of the lakes has given a clue to their formation. 

 When the water is first let into a lake the greatest depth of mud is 

 deposited at its mouth, where the tidal waters enter. If the season 

 is rainy the outflowing fresh water may prevent any deposit, but if 

 the time is dry eighteen inches of mud may be laid down at a lake 

 entrance in a single set of spring tides. The reason for this is evident. 

 The water, running up the canal with great force, loses its speed as it 

 spreads over the lake, and the larger part of the sediment settles at 

 once. As the water runs slowly up the river in the neap tides, much 

 sediment is deposited in the river bed. When the spring tides come 

 on, especially those in the late summer when it is usually dry, this 

 sediment is lifted and carried into the lakes above. Thus the water 

 at the head of the stream is often more heavily laden with mud than 

 that further down. 



Red or blue mud underlies both lake and bog, its depth varying as 

 the underlying soil rises or falls. Under the whole upper section the 

 mud is about the same level. Owing to the gathering of silt the lake 

 bottoms are often higher than the mud below the surrounding bog. 

 En idently the tide once flowed through the whole valley without being 

 hampered by lake or bog. Before the marsh reached its present state 

 of depression, lake basins were formed by the water damming itself in 



