the valley of Lake St. John and of a portion of the Sa- 

 guenay. Here is a small outlying basin of Lower 

 Silurian rocks, like those about Montreal, and over- 

 laid in like manner by strong and deep clays, which 

 extent over the adjacent and little elevated portion of 

 the Laurentian rocks, and form a soil as well fitted 

 for cultivation as any part of the lower St. Lawrence 

 valley. The valley of this lake is probably not more 

 than 300 feet above the sea ; and from the sheltered 

 position the climate is not more rigorous than that of 

 Quebec. Several townships have within a few years 

 been late out in this valley, and have attracted large 

 members of French Canadians from the older parishes 

 in the valley of "St. Lawrence. 



The western part of the champaign region, com- 

 mencing near Kingston and including all the south- 

 ern portion of the western province is the most fertile 

 and productive part Canada. Like the plains further 

 eastward, its soils consists chielly of string clays, 

 overlaid here and there by loam, sand, and gravel, in 

 the natural state nearly the whole of this region sup- 

 ported a fine growth of timber, in great part of broad- 

 leaved species, but presented however various local 

 peculiarities. Thus, the banks of the Grand River 

 from Gait to Brantford were remarkable for a sparse 

 growth of oaks, free from underwood, and known as 

 oak openings. These are said to have been pasture 

 grounds of the Indians, brought to this condition and 

 kept in it by partial clearing, avid by the annual burn- 

 ing of the grass. The object of this was to attract the 

 deer who came to feed upon the herbage. (See on 

 this point, Marsh's Man and Nature, page 137). The soil 

 of these plains is a light sandy loam, very uniform 

 in character, and generally underlaid by coarse 

 gravel. Though fertile, aiul of an easy tillage, this 

 and similar soils will not support the long continued 



