462 TRANSACTIONS OF THE CANADIAN INSTITUTE. [Vov. VITT. 
boundary west to Manitoba, of varying width, but containing in the ag- 
gregate an extensive area of first class agricultural soil frequently referred 
to as the Clay Belt of the north. ‘The fourth division lies beyond the strip 
of agricultural land and forms an extensive area of swampy or muskeg 
lands, too low to be easily drained, and at present too wet to produce even 
timber of any size. 
Now, agriculture is the source of success and material welfare of any 
nation. The greater the development of agriculture, the greater the 
nation. When agriculture decays or is neglected, the nation is in danger 
of decadence. 
In the Canadian Federation or Dominion of Canada, Ontario is still 
the premier province. In population, in wealth and in influence this. 
province easily outranks any other of the federated provinces. ‘This 
pre-eminence is largely on account of our agricultural production. True, 
our manufactures are increasing, and We are producing minerals to some 
considerable extent in spots, but agriculture is easily first in wealth pro- 
duction. Though only a small part of the area of the Province is under 
cultivation, our agricultural production is much larger than that of any 
other province. We are adairving and stock raising province, yet even 
in cereal crops our product is greater than that of Manitoba and the 
northwest provinces. 
It must be borne in mind that this production is achieved on about 
twenty-three million acres out of the one hundred and twenty-six million 
acres in the Province. I do not mean that twenty-three million acres 
are actually cultivated, but merely that about that amount of land is. 
sufficiently settled to be under some form of municipal government. 
I have stated that Ontario is now the leader in population and: wealth 
in the Dominion, but it must not be forgotten that the western provinces. 
are rapidly filling up, and if we are to maintain our lead, we will need to 
move faster than we are at present doing in increasing the area of culti- 
vated land. 
True, we are developing a mining industry in the north to some extent, 
but the ephemeral nature of the mining industry, especially in the matter 
of the precious metals as is the case with us, is such that a mining popula- 
tion cannot be relied upon for the solid upbuilding of a country. 
Our lumber industry is and has been very extensive, and though it, 
like agriculture, may be made a permanent source of wealth and popula- 
tion, the present outlook in this direction is not promising. 
