CONSERVATION IN LABRADOR 



animals when the men were engaged in fish- 

 ing. If the dogs were replaced by reindeer, 

 — a consummation devoutly to be wished, 

 and a subject I have already discussed, — the 

 food formerly used for them would be avail- 

 able for carnivorous fur-bearing animals. 



It is probable that agriculture on a large 

 scale will always be unprofitable on the Cana- 

 dian, and still more on the Newfoundland, 

 Labrador coast. The soil is scanty and poor, 

 often- entirely absent; the summer season is 

 short and liable to interruption by frost at 

 any time. The earliest green leaf to unfold is 

 that of the wild currant, and at Esquimaux 

 Point in 1909 I found the first currant leaf 

 on May 26. Cartwright, in 1771, at Cape 

 Charles records the first currant leaf on May 

 21. Ice often lingers along the shores of the 

 eastern part of the southern coast into July, 

 and by the latter part of August autumn is in 

 the air. Nevertheless, there is no doubt that 

 with careful selection of short-season species 

 of food-plants, such as have been introduced 

 so successfully, after government experimen- 

 tation, in Alaska, agriculture, to a limited but 

 very important extent, might flourish here. 

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