DEPARTMENT OF LANDS AND FORESTS FOR 1931 73 



over a great part of eastern and northern America. It is a wiry branching shrub 

 from 15 to 36 inches high and grows in profusion. It has evergreen waxy leaves 

 and a bright magenta flower and is of course extremely hardy. Its slight narcotic 

 content in the leaves is said to have caused it to be used by the early Americans 

 especially during the War of Independence in the making of a drink like tea 

 from which it got its name. The extent and profusion with which it grows leads 

 one to believe that surely some use could be found for it. 



This layer of moss on the top of the soil also acts as an insulator. A few 

 inches down, the moss itself or the soil underlying is very cold. Frost was found 

 only 15 inches down as late as mid September. Much of the country is wet 

 owing to drainage being retarded by the impervious gumbo soil and the blanket 

 of moss acting as a sponge. Consequently timber growth is retarded or stunted 

 owing to the cold, wet or frozen soil. Areas where it is high and well drained 

 do carry fair stands of timber or of second growth bush. There is no doubt 

 that were the country properly drained and the layer of moss removed, it would 

 in many places support a splendid vegetation. The growing season is sufficiently 

 long. Last frost in early summer was July 3rd and first in fall was on September 

 6th. 



Timber of merchantable proportions was cut through in the following 

 places. Mile 149+40 to Mile 150 was very heavy bush with spruce up to the 

 12" and some birch and popular spruce predominating. From Mile 152+40 

 to 156+60 was almost continuous heavy bush, with spruce predominating and 

 varying from a mean of 8" in diameter to as high as 12", with some birch and 

 poplar. Small patches of good spruce timber up to 10" are interspersed in almost 

 continuous heavy bush up to 163 M. + 40. Then for about a mile the line runs 

 through a strip of timber which follows the Detour River. Here there are spruce 

 up to 30" in diameter but the mean around 12", together with birch and poplar. 

 To Mile 170 the bush is mostly small and only of pulpwood size. From Mile 

 169 to 181, the bush is fairly heavy and continuous, with patches of good timber, 

 spruce to 12" and some jack pine around the height of land. This area extends 

 for miles on either side of the line. Much of this bush is pulp-wood size. At 

 Mile 181 the line enters muskeg country and from there to the end, no more 

 timber of any worth was seen. 



Game 



Game of all kinds was very scarce. Moose are in the country but not at all 

 plentiful. No deer or caribou were seen. Two trappers on the party said there 

 were but few signs of any fur-bearing animals. Rabbits and mice were rarely 

 ever seen, and there were few partridges or grouse. It is easy to see why the 

 larger predatory animals such as fox, wolf, marten, lynx, bear, weasel and mink 

 are not found there in any numbers for their food supply in great part is rabbits, 

 mice and grouse. Two or three families of beaver were at work. But at one time 

 the country had been full of beaver as is evident from the fact of many fine 

 old beaver dams, beaver meadows and beaver houses. Many of the stakes are 

 still standing in the creeks, the barricade traps used by the beaver hunter when 

 taking the beaver under ice and with the help of dogs. It is an ideal country 

 for beaver. 



One small flock of geese including some young ones was seen on one of the 

 lakes, indicating that this is on the fringe of the breeding grounds of this bird. 

 Loons and ducks were not at all plentiful. A few small flocks of prairie chickens 

 were flushed around Mile 200. It would seem that this bird is spreading farther 

 north and east. Originally known only in the western prairies it is said that 



