20 
Bay was completely frozen over. As pointed out by Montgomery, 
early whalers and travellers who wintered around the Bay usually 
did so in frozen inlets along the western and northwestern coasts, 
in the vicinity of the widest and most persistent section of the 
Hudson Bay shore lead. The “sea-smoke” formed by vapour con- 
densing in the cold air above the lead would blot out the eastern 
horizon, giving the impression that the open water extended in- 
definitely across the Bay. On one flight, Montgomery encountered 
sea-smoke 50 miles east of a shore lead only 5 to 10 miles wide. 
Because all coastal anchorages were ice-bound, there is no 
record of any ship having attempted to make a winter crossing of 
the Bay, thereby disclosing the actual facts. 
The preceding discussion raises the question of whether 
Churchill is better placed in the low arctic or the high subarctic 
zone. The Nordenskjold line passes through Churchill, but it is 
also indicated as passing through Port Nelson and York Factory, 
neither of which localities can be claimed to have an arctic 
climate or vegetation. The 50°F. isotherm for the warmest month 
passes north of Churchill at a point about midway to Chester- 
field Inlet. The fact that some success can be had with the 
growth of cultivated vegetables points to a subarctic rather than 
an arctic climate. Bell (1880) reports very good potatoes and 
turnips growing in a garden, and Beckel (1954) reports near to 
normal growth and development with such short season vegetables 
as chives, onions, garlic, lettuce, peas, broccoli, parsley, swiss 
chard, and cress. 
In Table III are shown the latitudinal subdivisions into 
which the 354 native species of vascular plants of the Churchill 
area have been grouped (see below). For purposes of comparison, 
the 322 native species cited by Porsild (1957) from the Canadian 
Arctic Archipelago are also subdivided on this basis. The writer's 
work during the past few years on the flora of the Canadian 
Atlantic seaboard reveals the presence in the southern half of 
coastal Labrador (exclusive of the Strait of Belle Isle area) of 
approximately 506 species. Comparison of the figures for Chur- 
chill and southern coastal Labrador indicates a close conformity 
to what would be expected on a climatological basis, and the 
native floras of these two areas give convincing evidence of a 
subarctic rather than an arctic climate. 
