Sept. 1, 1865.] THE TECHNOLOGIST. 
BRITISH COLUMBIA. 53 
through comparatively level districts, and communicating fertility to 
the neighbouring soil. In common with the larger tributaries, they 
occasionally spread out into picturesque lakes, which are frequented by 
beaver, and by many varieties of fish and waterfowl. They are marked 
by no rapid changes in level until the last few miles of their course, 
when, arriving at the vallies of the principal arteries, they break 
abruptly away from the highlands, and descend swiftly in narrow gorges 
by a succession of rapids and waterfalls. 
The scenery of the whole midland belt, especially of that portion of 
it lying to the east of the 124th meridian, is exceedingly beautiful and 
picturesque. The highest uplands are all more or less thickly timbered, 
but the valleys present a delightful panorama of woodland and prairie, 
flanked by miles of rolling hills, swelling gently from the margins of the 
streams, and picturesquely dotted with yellow pines. The forests are 
almost entirely free from underwood, and, with the exception of a few 
worthless tracts, the whole face of the country — hill and dale, woodland 
and plain— is covered with an abundant growth of grass, possessing 
nutritive properties of a very high order. Hence, its value to the colony 
as a grazing district is of the greatest importance. Indeed, the " bunch 
grass," so called from the circumstance of its growing in large bunches 
or tufts, is probably unrivalled as a natural pasture. Cattle and horses 
are found to thrive wonderfully on it, and to keep in excellent condition 
at all seasons ; and, except when required to do work of an unusually 
hard nature, they need no other food. In the woods, and on the highest 
portions of the table lands, this grass deteriorates in quality, attaining to 
its greatest perfection at the lower elevation, but the whole area is more 
or less available for grazing purposes. Thus the natural pastures of the 
midland belt may be estimated by hundreds, or even thousands, of 
square miles. Moreover, large portions of the soil possess properties 
very favourable to agriculture, and, although influences of climate and 
altitude are somewhat discouraging, they are by no means formidable 
obstacles to the energetic settler. But the climate of this district, and 
the capabilities of its soil, will be more fully discussed hereafter. 
On the whole, the possession of this fertile belt is of considerable 
importance to British Columbia. From its salubrious climate, its 
varied agricultural and pastoral capabilities, and its proximity to the 
lucrative markets of the gold-fields, it promises to become a pleasant 
and profitable, if not a very extensive, field for settlement ; and there 
can be no doubt that it holds out far greater inducements to the agricul- 
tural settler than the low woodlands of the Fraser estuary, where it is 
both costly and laborious to prepare the soil for tillage. 
The third and last belt of territory, extending from the eastern limit 
of the table lands to the watershed of the Rocky Mountains, needs no 
more than a very general description. Entering it from the west, the 
transition from level to hilly country is somewhat abrupt, and, 
advancing eastward, the general profile rises steadily, until it gains the 
