1921-22 DEPARTMENT OF LANDS AND FORESTS 77 



nature. This belt extends through to the railway and should make good grazing 

 land judging by the growth of grasses. 



There are no outcrops of rock over extensive areas but the soil is shallow 

 over the greater part of the ground covered and boulders are to be found in 

 nearly all of it. 



Rock Formation. 



Granite and granite gneiss are the principal rocks. The only mineral 

 found was magnetite. This was first indicated by the marked variation of the 

 needle near the eleventh mile east of the first meridian on the first base line. 

 Samples examined appeared to contain a good percentage of iron. We under- 

 stand that several mining claims have been staked on iron formation in the region 

 west of Little Pine Lake and that a favourable report has been made on the 

 same. 



Timber. 



The timber plan accompanying this report shows the areas of burned 

 country and the areas of green timber. The area shown as brule had been burned 

 over at least twice and there now remains a very small amount of green timber. 

 This area is now covered with a healthy growth of poplar and jack pine with a 

 dense growth of underbrush. The area shown green comprises two distinct 

 forest areas. One of these is covered with a stand about twenty-five to thirty 

 years old. In this poplar and jack pine are the main species and there is about 

 an equal amount of each. Birch and spruce are the other species. There are 

 also considerable areas of swamps containing valuable spruce within the area 

 above mentioned. The remaining portion of the area coloured green contains 

 timber of sufficient size to be marketable. Of this the best timber is within a 

 short haul of the Dog River and the west branch of the same. On the high ground 

 jack pine is the predominant species and this is of sufficient size for the manu- 

 facture of ties. On the low ground is found good stands of spruce of sufficient 

 size for pulpwood. This timber could all be brought down the Dog River, but 

 it would mean a drive of two seasons to land it at the railroad as the lower 

 stretch of the Dog River is flooded for several miles back from Dog Lake and 

 there are several small lakes to be crossed. 



The timber near and along the west boundary of the Black Sturgeon River 

 Limit is larger than that along the Dog River, but at present is not very acces- 

 sible to any good waterway. Spruce is the main species found here, and it ranges 

 up to twenty-four inches in diameter, but there is a great amount of it that is 

 decayed and much has been brought down by storms. In this section there was 

 a considerable area burned over during this year. The fire that destroyed it 

 was first noticed about July 4th, and from bearings taken would appear to have 

 started up about midway between the two base lines. The fire continued to burn 

 for about two weeks, but as there was very little wind during the time it is not 

 likely that a larger area than that shown was burned. It has not worked as 

 far south as the last base line by the time that we had completed this, but there 

 is a chance that it may have crossed it later. The cause is unknown. 



Routes, Waterways, Etc. 



Our supplies were all taken in via Kelly on the G. T. P. division of the 

 Canadian National Railways. From the railway a good portage of about one 

 mile leaves at near the seventy-fifth mile board. This leads to Lower Kaogomok 

 Lake (known locally as Canoe Lake). The route then is via Muskeg River to 



