THE VALLEY OF THE SASKATCHEWAN. 249 



the east and north of the Assinniboine, and in the valley 

 of La Eiviere Sale may be assumed to occupy 3,500,000 

 acres. In the valleys of Mouse Eiver, the Qu'appelle 

 Eiver and White Sand Eiver, the area of land likely to 

 invite settlement does not exceed one million acres. The 

 lakes in the valley of the Qu'appelle Eiver are im- 

 portant, they abound in fish, among which white fish 

 are numerous, large in size, and of excellent quality; 

 the gray and red suckers, pike and pickerel are also 

 abundant. 



Valley of the Saskatchewan. — 1. The country between 

 the Lumpy Hill of the Woods and Fort h la Come, 

 or the Nepowewin Mission, including the valley of 

 Long Creek and the region w^est of it, bounded by 

 the South Branch and the Main Saskatchewan. This 

 area may contain about 600,000 acres of land of the first 

 quality. 



2. The valley of Carrot Eiver and the country included 

 between it and the Main Saskatchewan, bounded on 

 the south by the Birch Hill range. There is a narrow 

 strip on the great river, about five miles broad, where 

 the soil is light and of an indifferent quality. The area 

 of available land probably does not exceed 3,000,000 

 acres. 



3. The country about the Moose Woods on the South 

 Branch. 



4. The Touchwood Hill range. 



5. The Pheasant Hill and the File Hill. 



The aggregate area of these fertile districts may be 

 stated to extend over 500,000 acres. 



Assuming that the prairies of Eed Eiver and the 

 Assinniboine east of Prairie Portage contain an available 

 area of 1,500,000 acres of fertile soil, the total quantity 

 of arable land included between Eed Eiver and the 



