34 The Ottawa Naturalist. 



in the far West, however, should learn before too late that this 

 store of fertility is not inexhaustible and that the export of grain 

 results in soil exhaustion which must be met by the application 

 of manures and fertilizers if the present conditions are to be 

 preserved. Undoubtedly, the climate there prevailing is one 

 that assists in the conservation of soil plant food, but this factor, 

 obviously, is not one that should be relied on to the neglect of 

 replacing plant food. 



The difficulty of obtaining in Ontario samples of virgin 

 soil representative of large areas has prevented me hitherto from 

 being able to draw any conclusions that would be of general 

 importance and value. As data accumulate, we may be in a 

 better position to speak more definitely and probably to map 

 out this province into districts according to the original 

 character of its soils. In the meantime, we can report that in 

 most instances the results we have obtained show a sufficiency 

 of plant food for lucrative crops yields. 



Unfortunately the practice of " burning " when clearing up 

 land has been most disastrous over large districts, destroying 

 vast stores of humus and nitrogen, a loss that can be replaced 

 only by many decades of skilfull procedure and care. 



From the Province of Quebec both heavy and light soils 

 have been received. Many of the frontier lands are in a 

 condition of partial exhaustion, owing to the one-sided method 

 of farming that has been in vogue. These must be built up 

 with green manuring and by application of barnyard manure 

 and fertilizers, thus replacing those elements that many years of 

 cropping have taken away. Undoubtedly, the virgin soils of 

 the areas here referred to were just as rich in plant food as 

 those of any province in Canada, a statement that receives 

 corroboration from results obtained in the examination of 

 certain newly broken Quebec soils. 



Hitherto, the soils from the Maritime Provinces examined 

 by us have been few in number. Such data, as we have 

 however, would go to show that their virgin soils are capable 

 of giving excellent crops under proper treatment. 



