=» Pa 
of a part of the Saguenay Country. 119 
Clay fiom ten to twenty feet in depth, the whole resting on 
a rock composed almost entirely of grey felspar, in which were 
observed patches of hornblende, At this pleve the river of Al. 
ders forks in with La Belle riviére, passing over a picturesque 
fall occasioned by the felspathic rock before mentioned ; the 
former river is only indeed a branch of the latter, which is ob- 
served to widen immediately after this junction from an average 
breadth of twenty to that of fifty feet. 
On descending La Belle Rivigre, the land was found to im- 
_ prove considerably in appearance, the same alluvial soil con- 
tinued, but forming flat and low shores, unaccompanied by 
hills. Indicative of this improvement, ash, elm and poplar 
became more common. While on this subject, it may be ob- 
served, that although the presence of timber of a certain de- 
scription may indicate good soil, its absence does not neces- 
sarly imply the reverse 3 for on this excursion, we met with 
several places in which the soil was, decidedly good, without 
finding it, and wherever found, it was always in subordinate 
quantity, Onthe marly shore of the Saguenay, in the neigh- 
bourhood of Chicoutimi, we saw none, and yet a better soil 
could scarcely be met with. To produce a growth of fine tim- 
ber, something more is requisite than good soil ; the land 
must be opened to warmth, light and air ; it must be disen- 
cumbered of that heavy mass of decayed and decaying vegeta- 
tion, with which our forest land’ are loaded. If apparently wn- 
der all these disadvantages, some lands produce good timber, 
it is only an exception, and no sufficient argument against what 
has been advanced, particularly as such exceptions are probably 
owing to one or more of the favouring circumstances being im 
operation. It should also be remembered, that good soils have a 
tendency of themselves, by encouraging’a rank and dense vegela- 
tian of weeds and underwood, to check the growth of fine timber. 
To 
