The district has a frontage of about fifteen miles along the Skeena 

 Kiver, but narrows considerably towards the lake, which is in a southerly 

 direction. There are, as near as could be ascertained, about 9G.OOO acres of 

 good agricultural land here, about 50.000 of which is low bench land, and 

 the remainder high bench land (high bench land as referred to here docs nut 

 necessarily mean high lauds, but is used in comparing with the river bench 

 land). These high bench lands are some 50 to 100 feet above the river. 



Picture 1. View of part of Lakelse Valley. 



About 1.000 acres of the low bench land is "beaver meadow," and some 

 of it will require drainage. The soil is a deep, rich black loam, and where 

 it does not drain well naturally should be remedied, and if brought into a 

 good state of cultivation should prove very productive. It is covered with 

 considerable underbrush, with little heavy timber, and can be cleared at 

 a minimum exj>ense. This land should prove of exceptional value for the 

 production of grasses and cereal crops, and therefore be well adapted for 

 dairying and similar lines of agriculture. This land is not as well adapted 

 to the growing of fruits as the higher bench land. 



The remainder of the low bench is heavily timbered. Most of this timber 

 is valuable for railway-construction work, such as ties. etc.. and as soon as 

 there are facilities in the district for the handling of the same it should 

 bring good returns. There is practically no underbrush there, which factor 

 will lessen the cost of clearing considerably. However, as the timber is large 

 and the soil deep, the cost of clearing will be fairly high, varying from 

 $100 to $200 per acre where a good outfit is made use of. This expense 

 should he more than met by the value of the standing timber. The soil is a 

 loam containing a large proportion of silt, as shown in picture 2. It is deep. 

 rich, and drains well naturally in most places. The subsoil varies from clay 

 to gravel. Although the excuse of clearing this land would be proportion- 

 ately high, yet if cleared it should prove exceptionally fine land for all 

 agricultural puri>oses. being easily worked, retentive of moisture, and very 

 productive. 



