138 REPOET OF THE No. S 



EOADS ON MANITOULIN ISLAND. 



Grading and Repaiiung, 1916. 



Number of miles of road graded and surfaced with gravel, 8%. 



One bridge constructed. 



Eight stone and 24 corrugated iron culverts placed. 



The main trunk road on Manitoulin Island is constructed between Little 

 Current and Gore Bay, the distance being about 40 miles. The easterly portion 

 of this road from Little Current westerly for 10 miles is in very fair condition, 

 most of it having been surfaced with gravel and well graded and ditched, although 

 in a few places the road had been constructed too narrow. 



Operations were commenced early in May about 13 miles west of Little Current 

 and continued the work westerly for a distance of over ^Yg miles to West Bay, and 

 from that point south towards Mindemoya, a further distance of li^ miles. The 

 road, previous to my starting work, had in places been constructed too narrow; it 

 was badly drained and in places had not been graded. The road was widened 

 well ditched and surfaced with gravel. Part of the road from West Bay south 

 to Mindemoya was only a mere trail and had to be cut out. There is now a first- 

 class gravel road between Mindemoya, West Bay and Little Current, the distance 

 being approximately 20 -miles. There is a great deal of traffic over this road, it 

 being the main trunk road on the Island. The continuation of this trunk road 

 west of West Bay to Gore Bay requires to be re-graded and re-surfaced in places, 

 and continued southerly along the east shore of Mindemoya Lake, the Mindemoya 

 Eoad being the main trunk road running north and south across the Island. 

 These roads pass through a fairly good agricultural country in a good state of 

 cultivation. The country, although rocky and swampy in places, is well adapted 

 for agriculture. Part of the road was difficult to improve owing to the narrow 

 road as originally constructed and the number of small surface boulders met with. 

 Good gravel, howeyer, was plentiful and no difficulty was met with in making a 

 good permanent road. Where drainage was required corrugated iron or stone 

 culverts were placed where no timber was available. 



EXPEEIMENTAL FARM AND GAEDEN PLOTS. 



Matheson Experimental Farm Plot : 



This farm is situated near Matheson on the north half of Lot 4, Concession 6, 

 Township of Bowman, along the line of the Temiskaming and Northern Ontario 

 Eailway. Fifty acres of this lot was cleared early last spring and about 30 acres 

 put under crop. All kinds of grain, as well as different kinds of vegetables, were 

 tested with good results. The land had been burned over several years ago and was 

 easily cleared. The greater portion of it is high and rolling; part, however, is low 

 and covered with considerable black loam. The land was plowed as soon as the 

 snow disappeared, and planted between the 10th and 24th of May. The fires of 

 July and August which swept over the Matheson district did considerable damage 

 to the crops. Except, however, where damage by the fire had been done, the crops 

 were of first-class quality and matured witliout injury by summer frosts. Different 

 varieties of spring wheat were sown, the Marquis, however, gave the best results. 



