114 NATURAL RESOURCES OF QUEBEC
fire in such a severe way is likely to endanger the soil's fertility, but if
the season has been rainy there remains sufficient moisture in the black
muck layer underneath the moss to check or even stop, the fire's activity,
After burning, immediate ploughing is possible, as the land in Abitibi is
comparatively free from boulders and stones of any kind. Except in
swampy areas, where drainage has to be provided by means of trenches,
the average soil of this region, which is a gently rolling land, may be freed
of its surface water by appropriate ploughing.
Although vegetation is remarkably rapid on account of the long days
and short nights in the summer months, seed should be sown as early as
possible. Experiments so far have shown that wheat, peas, and vege-
tables sown in the first week of May ripen before the autumn frosts. To
ensure a good crop, fall ploughing is advisable, as spring ploughing is
likely to give unsatisfactory results.
Abitibi is not a region of wet soil. There is a certain portion of peaty
land, but the rest of the country owing to its undulating surface is nor-
mally dry. The dryness of the atmosphere and the absence of excessive
humidity in the soil act as safeguards against the disastrous effects of
sudden frosts, which may occur in the early and late parts of the season.
The climate of this region, at one time a drawback, has of late years
become much milder owing to the gradual clearing of the forests whereby
the soil is exposed to the warming influence of the sun and evaporation
is reduced.” The altitude diminishes toward the north so that the northern
part compares favourably with the southern. Spring break-up occurs
at the end of April and freeze-up comes near the first of November, but
slight frosts are liable to happen during every month of the year. The
annual precipitation is about 28 inches. The greatest precipitation is
during late September and October. During the summer the nights are
cool and the days normally hot. A hot, dry spell in summer is sometimes
followed by a storm with sudden drop in temperature. In this, as in
other districts, summer frosts will disappear as the land becomes settled
and cultivated.
TIMISKAMING
The Timiskaming district is situated in the westerly part of Quebec,
south of Abitibi. It extends easterly from the province of Ontario to
Great Lake Victoria and northerly from Kipawa lake and river to lac
des Quinze. The total area includes about 3,500,000 acres, or 35,000
farms of 100 acres each. In 1925 the population numbered 11,700.
The most suitable portion for colonization lies along the eastern shore
of lake Timiskaming and along des Quinze river. The whole district lies
in the clay belt and is well adapted for agriculture. A branch of the
Canadian Pacific railway crosses the district, running from Kipawa to
Angliers on the lac des Quinze.