COMMISSI.ON OF COiNSER V ATION 



Harvey Township 



Watersheds. — ^The principal stream in the township of Harvey is 

 the Mississagua river, which drains Mississagua, Catchacoma, Gold, 

 Eagle, and other lakes of this series in the townships of Cavendish and 

 Anstruther. The most northern headwaters of the stream are fotind 

 in Glamorgan township not far from the village of Gooderham. The 

 river meets the canal waters in Buckhom lake about a mUe east of 

 Hall Bridge. This stream and its tributaries drain the eastern portion 

 of the township. The central and northwestern portion of the town- 

 ship is drained into Pigeon lake by Squaw river and Harvey brook, 

 while the southeastern portion is drained by Deer Bay creek, which 

 has its origin in the lakes of Burleigh. Buckhom lake and its water- 

 connections with Stony lake form the southern boundary of the town- 

 ship, while the southwestern boundary is formed by Pigeon lake. 

 Compared with the townships to the eastward, Harvey contains few 

 lakes in the interior. 



Topography. — The higher and rougher portions are in the granite 

 areas in the eastern portion of the township. This is due to elevation, 

 as well as to the presence of numerous ridges and knolls of glacial drift. 

 The western half of the township is quite flat, except where the streams 

 have worn through, or where granite out-crops through the prevailing 

 sedimentary limestone. 



Rock and Soil. — ^As indicated above, the rock is mostly granite 

 and sedimentary limestone. The eastern and northern portions of the 

 township are mostly granite, with ouliljong patches of sedimentary 

 limestone. West of Harvey brook and in the area lying between Buck- 

 hom lake and Pigeon lake sedimentary limestone with local patches 'of 

 granite is found. The soil on the granite areas is very thin and, in 

 many places, entirely absent, while that of the limestone areas is, for 

 the most part, of agricultural quality, being silt loam and clay. 



Forest Conditions. — ^A Uttle over one-half (50.8 per cent) of the 

 township has been thoroughly culled and bvimed, and is now occupied 

 by the poplar-birch type of forest. * It is apparent that the granite areas 

 were originally occupied by pine, hemlock and spruce, and the limestone 

 areas by hardwoods. The coniferous forests at the present time cover 

 only 1.4 per cent of the area, and the largest block may be found 

 in the northeastern comer of the township. The hardwoods are mostly 

 maple, beech and basswood, and they occupy 22 per cent of the area. f 

 The mixed coniferous-hardwood type is poorly developed, comprising 

 only 1.7 per cent of the area. The granite areas, with the soil mostly 

 absent, are barrens. These are found in the southeastern comer of 



*For a description of the composition of this type see page 68. 

 tSee pages 46 and 47. 



