2 
JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
strong winds off the Bay of Fundy ; the South Mountain, which is a little 
higher, bounds it on the eastern and southern side, and runs N.E. to 
S.W. In the middle of the valley there is a watershed, the Annapolis 
River running S.W., the rivers of the Cornwallis district running N.E. 
These rivers are small ; but owing to the great rise and fall of the tide 
(60 feet), the salt water runs up far inland, carrying with it enormous 
deposits of alluvial mud or silt, and allowing ships to go several miles 
inland. 
Near the mouths of the rivers there are salt marshes which are over- 
flowed by the tide, and grow salt hay, which is eaten by the cattle during 
winter. Higher up are the dyked marsh lands reclaimed from the sea, 
forming very rich meadow land. Grand Pre, the district rendered 
famous by Longfellow's "Evangeline," the scene of the expulsion of the 
Acadians, lies in the eastern part of the valley, on the shores of the Basin 
of Minas, across which Cape Blomodin, the termination of the North 
Mountain, is clearly seen. Owing to the beauty of the country, its 
historic interest, and the cooler temperature, it attracts many visitors- 
from the United States during the summer months. Apples and plums 
are grown throughout the valley, and in the centre, near the to^Tis of 
Middleton, Aylesford, and Berwick, raspberries, blackberries, and straw- 
berries are grown, also some peaches and a few grapes. One farm I 
visited had 6 acres of strawberries. Most of the soft fruit is sent to 
Halifax and Boston, but the market for these fruits is at present rather 
limited. In the centre of the valley there is a large area of bog land^ 
which, it has been found, is well adapted to cranberry-growing, an indus- 
try that is rapidly increasing. 
The greater part of the valley was originally covered by forest, which 
has been cleared, save at the foot and sides of the mountains. 
The Soil. 
The soil of the valley is partly formed by the disintegration of the 
Trap rock of the North Mountain, partly from the syenitic granite of the 
South Mountain, together with the red loam and coarse-grained sand 
of the New Red Sandstone in the valley, which abounds in oxide of iron^ 
lime, and gypsum, forming a fertile soil admirably adapted to the cultiva- 
tion of apples, plums, and various fruits, as well as of potatoes, swede 
turnips, oats, maize, pumpkins, beans, &c. Wheat growing and beef 
production have lately decreased, owing to the competition of the western 
provinces. The dairying industries are, however, increasing. 
The Farms. 
The farms are, almost without exception, occupied by their owners, 
most of them small compared with the average size of English farms, 
and still smaller, of course, compared with many farms in the West of 
Canada and the United States. The labour is largely performed by the 
farmer and his sons, with but little hired help. The farmhouses and 
buildings, for the most part, are neat, comfortable, and give the impres- 
sion of prosperity. They are almost all constructed of wood, painted 
