1911-12 DEPAKTMENT OF LANDS, FORESTS AND MINES. 59 



it is of very little use. We are told that there are numerous rapids and falls on 

 this river, although none of importance were seen or measured by us. In any case 

 there will be very little chance of any power development on this stream in those 

 townships surveyed, as the banks of this stream are quite low, and consequently, 

 very few facilities for damming purposes. In low water the discharge of the stream 

 is very small. 



The highest ground crossed by those outlines is on the east boundary of the 

 Township of Lowther between Mileage One and Three, and on the west boundary 

 of the Township of Talbott, which passes through a chain of lakes between M 3 

 and M 6, and in no place being very rough. 



At approximately 2 miles and 50 chains on the south boundary of Lowther 

 we found outcrops of fine grained basic igneous rock, pro'bably a diorite and rich 

 in horn-blende. Those outcrops continue at intervals up to 3 miles and 10 chains, 

 and occur as north-east and south-west ridges, just rising slightly above the sur- 

 rounding country, which contains boulders of the same formation. 



Another small outcrop parallel to the former occurs at 5 miles and 30 chains 

 on the south boundary of Lowther. At approximately 7 miles the line again 

 crosses an outcrop of granite rising to the south 15 or 20 feet above ttie surround- 

 ing country. Between M 3 and M 4, on the west boundary of Templeton, outcrops 

 of diorite cut by a network of acidic dykes and masses of very coarsely crystallized 

 granite, almost pegmatitic, occur. From the character of the rock and the strike 

 of the outcrops, which is west and south-west, it would appear to be of the same 

 series of outcrops that was crossed by the south boundary of Lowther. 



Occasional other small ridges of granite were crossed. 



Lakes are not very numerous, the only lakes of importance being along the 

 west side of the Township of Talbott. 



Timber. 



The timber crossed in those townships was, generally speaking, very sndall. 

 Very little was seen that will be of much commercial value. There are, how- 

 ever, in places, small .strips of spruce which will make pulpwood; but very little of 

 the timber seen by us averages more than seven or eight inches. None of the 

 country in this section has been burned during the construction of the Algoma 

 Central Railway. The only brule seen is on the west boundary of Talbott, along 

 "Wigwam Lake, and along the west boundary of Templeton from 2 M to 3 M. In 

 eacK case those brule are at least five years old. The bush is almost entirely of 

 spruce, which in places grows very thick. There are also a few ridges of poplar 

 which rung as high as twelve inches in diameter, as well as small balsam and 

 tamarac. 



Soil. 



The soil seems to be entirely of a sandy nature. In places there is a consider- 

 able depth of vegetable matter, after which is the sand, with small stones and 

 boulders mixed through it. This can be plainly seen along the construction of the 

 Algoma Central Railway. The soil in those townships is not a good clay like that 

 seen along the Transcontinental Railway. Along the Algoma Central Railway the 

 soil seems to change fr> m a clay to a sand about nine miles south of the town of 

 Hearst. This soil, howe ^r, in time will be turned into agricultural land, although 

 it will not be so easily wo 'ced as the clay to the north owing to the great number of 

 stones in it. 



