Identifier: albertasurveyoft00mcca (find matches)
Title: Alberta : a survey of the topography, climate, resources, industries, transportation and communication, and institutional services of the Province of Alberta
Year: 1919 (1910s)
Authors: McCaig, J Alberta. Dept. of Agriculture
Subjects: Agriculture
Publisher: Edmonton, Alta. : Issued under the direction of Minister of Agriculture
Contributing Library: ASC - York University Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: Ontario Council of University Libraries and Member Libraries

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Ranching Scene in the Homestead Country, Spirit River On the fringes of these agricultural settlements are a smallnumber of ranch settlements on the Wapiti and Smoky Rivers,south and east of Grande Prairie in occasional stretches, westof Grande Prairie and Spirit River, then as far west as Fort St.John, where there are a number of small cattle ranches. Imme-diately east of Peace River a few ranches are developing and a fewothers towards Fort Vermilion on the north side of the river. Northern Alberta already holds fifty thousand souls—all twohundred miles or over rxorth of Edmonton—and the greater partof civilian and soldier settlement is headed in the direction of PeaceRiver. This country is making rapid advancement in institutionalservices likewise. There are good schools over the whole of thedistrict, and municipal hospitals, which are certain of efficient sup-port and direction, are being established in a number of the importantcentres of the Peace River district. 29
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7) 30 BRANCHES OF AGRICULTURE Field Crops.—xA.lberta is adapted in vanning degrees to thegrowing of the whole hst of small grains including wheat, oats,barley, r\e, peas and fiax. Certain cereals are pre-eminent in certaindistricts but all of the cereals can be grown profitably and success-fully from Medicine Hat to Fort Vermilion. The soil of the province consists of a finely divided basis ofglacial drift topped by accumulations of vegetable mould varyingin depth from a few inches to several feet. The black soil belongscharacteristically to the centre and north. In the southern part ofthe province while the depth of humus is not great the nitrogencontent is high as the soil of the great grain area of the province inthe south is not subject to leaching by excessive precipitation.The soils of Southern Alberta excel in looseness and fineness and inthe easy availability for plant support of both humus and mineralelements in the soils. This area is given over largely to wheatgrowing, an

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