Canadian Forestry Journal, January, igi6. 



341 



Sawmill operation in Yellow Pine, Okanagan Valley, B.C. 



of smaller lakes run south to the 

 International Boundary, the proba- 

 bility being that the lake was once 

 continuous from north of Vernon to 

 somewhere on the U. S. side of the 

 line. 



From the level of the Okanagan 

 l^ake, which is 1,175 feet above sea 

 level, the mountains surrounding 

 the Okanagan watershed rise only 

 about 7,000 feet at the most. By far 

 the largest number are from 3,000 

 to 4,000 feet high, and lie far back 

 from the main valley. 



Low rolling hills surround the 

 valley, broken by deep gulches, and 

 a few valleys, which widen out some 

 distance back. These hills gradually 

 rise, as they recede from the valley, 

 to the plateau and mountain country 

 of the watershed summits. 



Plateau country is the predomin- 

 ant feature of the Okanagan water- 

 shed. Plateaux with low smooth 

 hills and shallow lakes, many 

 swamps and streams. Their con- 

 tinuity is broken by regions of high 

 mountains and deep gulches, with 

 swift streams and craggy outcrops 

 of country rock. 



Fruit-growing Soil. 

 Though there is not a great deal 

 of outcrop throughout the valley the 



soil is not deep. It consists, except 

 on the benches near the lake, of 

 loose gravelly and sandy loam with 

 a great deal of granite wash and 

 loose rocks and boulders. The 

 benches are composed of a light 

 grey-colored gumbo clay, known 

 locally as volcanic ash though it is 

 not known whether there in any au- 

 thority for the same. This material 

 extends to great depths and is excel- 

 lent for fruit raising. 



In the Vernon and Armstrong dis- 

 tricts the soil is a deep dark loam. 



The climate in the Okanagan is 

 remarkable for the latitude and the 

 elevation above sea level. The sum- 

 mers are long and hot with little 

 rain. The winters are short and 

 mild. In the southern end of the 

 valley there is never sufficient snow 

 for sleighing, near the level of the 

 lake, except in exceptional seasons. 

 Higher up in the hills the winters 

 are hard and long. By the first of 

 March the sun's heat is felt, and the 

 snow melts off at the lower levels. 

 ^The middle and end of April often 

 see a serious fire season commenc- 

 ing. Warm weather lasts till the 

 end of October, although the nights, 

 always cool, get cold" and frosty. 

 Snow usually appears on the high 

 peaks about the middle of October. 



