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>>^v- 
 
 fUepriiited from the Canadian Hkcoud ofSciknck.) 
 
 The Climate of the Canadian West.' 
 
 By Ehnkst I nokhsoi.i,. 
 
 It may seem pre.su mpt nous in me, the citizen of an out- 
 side power, however IrieiKlly, to come l»elore iiii iiudicnci' of 
 CuMudiuiis as a lecturer u])oa their own country. But, in 
 extenuation, I may jjlead that ii has heen tny fortune to 
 travel a great deal in ail parts of Western Amei-ica from 
 Mexico to British (Johimbia; and, consefjuently, tiuil 1 am 
 not speaking' from hearsay alone, but in the light of personal 
 experience. 
 
 The climate, or rather climates, for there are several 
 distinct climatic areas, of the vast western half of Canada, 
 is, however, a matter of fact and science rather than ofexi)or- 
 ience, and an intelligent man, t hough he had never been west 
 of Lake Supei'ioi-, noi- heard a single word about its actual 
 weather, could predict with much accuracy what kind of 
 climate would be met by ex])loi'ers in each of its various 
 divisions, simply from knowing the physical situation of 
 each. 
 
 For climate is very lai-gely — almost wholly — a function, 
 as mathematicians say, of, first, the latitude, and, second, 
 the physical geography of the region under consideration. 
 
 * Abstract of a lecture in the Soinervillc Course, delivered in 
 Montreal, March loth, 1888. 
 
8-2 
 
 (Ut mid ill II lliroi'il <>/ N'/'iVv/rr'. 
 
 Ily iilivhit'iil ^'('o^M-apliv, 1 riioan, lion', the w.iy in wliicli tlio 
 HOMH, iMoiiiituirH uikI plains of :i Miinicii-ntly lar^'f di^tricl 
 uro (liHpoHeid l()\\ar(i> cacli "iln'r; am! it i-- iliio In tlu' closo 
 rolalioii oxlsliti<jj Ix'twoon (hoso •livoi'Hitiost»t'nm laiourul cli- 
 mate, that tlu! latter is imt a u'liimsical tliini;-, l)iit nno oltiio 
 istcadioNf uikI inoHt ciiai-at liii'istic features ot any re^'ion — 
 ovon tlioueli the ircatlicr thero may, at eerliiin soanons, ho 
 most (■a))rieiniis. 
 
 The < ":ina(lian We^t I take li» metin. liir tlie jHiiposos of 
 this lecture, all of'north-oastei'n Atnei'lea, t'loin the limilHof 
 the fori'.^ts around IIikUoii's May and LaUe HiipiTJoi*. wost- 
 wai-d lo tho Pacilic Ocean, 
 
 A f^'lanco at tho map is the Hi'st thin;^ in order. 
 
 "We find that north of iho International houndary lino — 
 or, better, lot us sav north of the watoi-sheil hotweon (/an- 
 adian rivei-^- and those trihulai-y to the Mississij)pi and tho 
 Missouri — thero is an ininienso area of treeless plains 
 nearly a thousand miles wide east and west, and sti-elchin^ 
 north-wcHt, in li'ian_<j,ular form, to 'he border of Alaska, 
 l^liis may he Haid to be "ne climatic area, which wo may call 
 that ol" tho JMains. 
 
 W(!st of tho Plains stand the sorriod ranks of tho ^rand 
 old Ilockies, formiii,!;" a hell of snow-bearing mountainh 
 avera<;ing 200 miles in breadth, and risin<^ evei'ywhore into 
 tno zone of per])etual snow and ico. This belt has a 
 climate of its own, which we may term that of the Kock'y 
 Mountains. Beyond this lies the intei-ior basin of Hrltish 
 Columbia, about as large us Manitoba, foi'ming a third 
 climatic area, which may he named tho Kainbmps ('limate, 
 for want of a betloi- term. A fourth climati', that of the 
 rainy Coast Itange, is attached to the narrow but lofty raidc 
 of mountains imi)i'opei'ly culled Iho Cascades, which extend 
 parallel with the I'acilic coast in southern l^ritish Columbia, 
 und form the coast itsell iit the northern part of that Pro- 
 vince. Last of all, there is the strip of lowland and the 
 tongue-like valleys along the coast itself, together with tho 
 islands bordering it. which constitute a tifth climatic ai'oa. 
 Kuch of the>e divisions is, in fact, a long strip of counti-y 
 
 I 
 
Clinnih ,</ (hr Cunnliiin West. 
 
 88 
 
 n<. Pill and M»ii(li. ('otit'oriiiiMi^M.) (ho linns of coast \\\A jnom. 
 lain rani^^cM. I.v wlii-h il.cii iK'niiiaritii's in each eane ai'© 
 ^ovonicd. 
 
 Wo liavo, tlu!ii. live s(.|)aralo and n:ilui-ai ilivisjoiis ..|" tho 
 VVoHl, oacli cliaractoi'i/.od hv a cliinatcur iis own. <li'|»oinlitin- 
 upon its naliii-al coiidiii,,!!, us t'oIlovvH: 
 
 1st— Tho Plains. 
 
 'Jnd -Tho Muvky Moiinlains, 
 
 .'{fd— Tho Inlorior of llr-itish ('oliind.ia. 
 
 4lli— Tho ('(»ast Mountains. 
 
 r»th- -Tho Pacitio Littoial. 
 
 Lot lis lako Ihoso up in i-ovorso onlci , and so pr('|)aro our- 
 Holvos for a stiuly of tho Plain-, in whiidi most porsonn aro 
 mainly intiTcslod. 
 
 It is almost ncodfai, howovcc, to consider the whole West 
 aH one, at tirsi, in oidoi- lo ^^ci at the philosopliy ot" Iho 
 snhjoct in <»a(di sopai-alo case. 
 
 licrnoinhofini;- (ho noi-lhoiiy position of Canada, whi(di 
 ^'ivos it tho ^-(iiioral oliniatic t'oatm-cs bolonninu- to tho 
 Tompofat(i /one, wo may say that ovoiy local pooiiliaiity (jf 
 climato in tho Wost— at least hoyond tho conlfal pact of tho 
 Plains — Ih duo to tho ai-i-an^'omont of (ho ctiiTonts of tho 
 I'aoifio Oooan. an<l its winds, on ono hand, and to tho posi- 
 tion of Iho rnoiintains in rcfiM'cnco to them on tho othoc. 
 Tho reaction of ocoan and mountains— of thoii- inlliionooH, 
 that is — uj)on o;ich other, is I'oally what makes the cdimato; 
 and as tho ocean ciirronts and world-winds flow nnifi)rmly 
 and iincoasin<r|y. while tho mountains st:ind as the \*i\-y typo 
 of ])oi'manonoo, — this roaetion is noeessai'ily ooiistant 
 followed, of coiirso, by unifonnity in the visihio olTocts. 
 
 With th(^ course of tho (Jidt Sii'oam all ai'o familiar, and 
 rightly at(iil)ule lo its indirect iniluonco the warm and 
 moist climate of Gi'oat IJritain and Franco. tliou<,di those 
 counti-ios aro as near to the aictic pole a> tho frigid clitlti 
 of Labrador, whei-e poroninal winter holds sway. 
 
 Now, in tin' Pacific tho case is tho same. A gival warm 
 current out of tho tropical seas courses up the eastern coast 
 of Asia until it is fended away by tho headlands of Siberia 
 
 {.<;5:54 
 
 k3 
 
H4 
 
 CfHtttfian flfrnrtf of Srinirn. 
 
 iind Iho AInsUtm i^l:in<l-. mikI tliuii Iiiimh to Hwoop hoiilhwuiil 
 iiloiii' I ho t'<>u>l ot Hriti-h Ariioiiia. Tlio pnn ailing win<U 
 1 1. CIO, MH .'voiTwhi'io olso in tlio Noilh Tfinponito /ono. ufo 
 fVom llic Wi'ht ; an'l thoso, altor paNMiti^x iutohh llioUMaiulM of 
 mill's (»r uiiobstruclod and woll-watiMOfl ocean, como to uh 
 l(.a(lo<l with nioisttiro. VVaim air, yon muihI ivmoinhor, bo- 
 oausr cNpatKk'il l»y its warmth, will absorh rnori' moistiiro 
 than cold, so that thcM' I'acitlo winds nro siituralcd hy tho 
 timo thoy roach tho shoio. 
 
 Now tl»(^ moiii tins hci^in to do their part. 
 
 One cannot a| cclatc how importunl is the inthmnco of 
 the mouiitains of the ^doho npon its climates, nntil iio stopH 
 to think what a state of things would exist in thoir ultsoneo. 
 Weather is simply tho state of the atmosphere in roHpect to 
 temperature, dryness or wetnoHHand tl»o like. What atfeets 
 those conilitions causes a ( han^o in tho weather. Wore tho 
 Hurfaei! of the contiiienls tlat. temperature would doereaso 
 from the o(iuator precisely in ratio with the latitude, suh- 
 joct oidy to liio intliK'nce of winds tVom the ocean, whicdi 
 would blow with unfailinu" re^^'ularity and continuance, bear- 
 ing' a detinilofjiiantity of moisture and depositing' it.proi)ably 
 unci'asin,i;ly, in the same place year after year. Heat and 
 c(»ld in climate would then bo almost entirely a matter of 
 summer or wiidoi', or distance from the ocpuitoi', and wet 
 weather would belon<^ wholly to certain zonoH, mi^n-ating 
 with the Housons, while all the rest of tho world would bo 
 arid. 
 
 But tho iiTCgulai-itics of the surface of the globo intorforo 
 with this, and make it a tolerable ])lace to live. Without 
 mountains (if we can ''oneeive of such u state of things) tho 
 earth would scarcely bo habitable — or at any rate comfort- 
 able, Mut tiio hilU liso up toward the spaces of eternal 
 frost which encircde tho globe only a few thousand feet 
 overlicad, and act as condensers. Tho damp ocean air 
 coming near them is cooled down to its dew [)oint — that is, 
 to a j)oint where the invisible vapor of water it carries is 
 changed into perceptible drops, clouds ai'o formed and per- 
 haps rain tails. 
 
 I 
 
 I 
 
 I 
 
1 
 
 1 
 
 Climnff of f/ir ('inin>liiin Wmt. 
 
 8A 
 
 
 Tho Ihi^Iht llio inoiirituiiiH, ofcjourHO, tlio ^'lojili-r must l»o 
 lln' cMiKlcrisjition, horaiHn lui'iy HiiniinitH art* iicit'-'surily 
 coltliM' limn tli(>Mi> of Icr^H allihiilc. 
 
 With those ^('lu'fiil t'iirts in vitnv, let its now i»n(|iiii«' mk to 
 the pai'tinihii' <'linmtus of ltiili>h ( 'oliinilija, which is to an 
 oxtr;u»r(liii!ii'y <l»',i^'ot'. u tv^i(»iM»r inoiiiiiuiiiH atxl sou ioumI. 
 
 VufU'ouvtd' Isluiid Htnl (ho <^U('(Mi < 'h!iil()tttMiichi|iolaii-o 
 havo H ciinuUe ii|m>ii which Ihu inhuliit.iiits con^ratiihitc 
 Ihornsolvos. 'IMw^y h:i\c'a inihl ari'l oven wiiilor. with fain, 
 (tho atiniiul i-aintall is estimated at \') inchos)an<l occasion- 
 ally snow ; an oai'ly spiin^r , .i ,liv, warm sumfncf, anil u 
 cloac, hii^^hl and onjoyahh' autumn. Somolitnos the tVost 
 in .siilHciontly hard to permit of Mkatin<^, Imt this is ox- 
 ceptional. Ah a rulo (lowers hloom in tin' y'arilonH of Vio 
 loria thron;^'"'"' ''i^' yoar. The elimato is warmer than 
 that of lln^iand, and the i-aintal! Ih periodic —not irregular. 
 Tho slimmer is decidedly i\v\\ so that dust is ono of tho 
 groatost inconvenicMces in evory sotthnnent. Mut it is a 
 (Mirioiis fact that .luly. the dryost month on the coasi. is tho 
 timo ot i^reatest wet in the interior. I''ruits of all kinds in- 
 di.^^'cnoiiM of tho tomperjito climates ripen in I he opon air, 
 uir, und amongst them somo that aro in l*]ni^land hrouirht 
 to perfootion only under i;lass. Some of my hearers may 
 romomber an oxhihition of :ii>ples. (unhrai'in;^ sotno thirty 
 vaiioties, all of extraordinary perfection, whi<di <j;row near 
 tho mouth of the Frasei- and woro exhibited hoio in tho 
 early part of (ho wintoiv I have novor seen plums and 
 chorrios to approa(di in si/^o or flavor those of that roi^ion ; 
 and fruit culture will sui-ely bo one of tho loadini^^ industries 
 in the future of thtit coas(. Thunder storms stddom broaU 
 over (he island. They can be heard in (he distance but are 
 I'ai'oly experienced, it is (his climate, combined with (he 
 situation of Victoria, (hat makes tlnit eity so ])loasin,u: a 
 contiast to those who visit i( from tho hot valleys of 
 California. 
 
 Vet in the Intorior of Vancouver Island mountains that 
 rise more than 6,000 feet above tho sea level not only hold 
 the snow the year round, but even bear glaciers of largo 
 
80 
 
 (.'iiniitfittft Uinntl o/ Srinttr^. 
 
 nixo ; litt*! tix- diintitit of ttiu (^iKori Clitulotto IhlmicU 'ih 
 coolrr iiii'l Ilium iiiiiiy ilmti iliut nf Vaticdiivfi', wIpwh 
 tiiM'tlii'iri cikI, ill turn, i> Ic^- |il('U*«Miit tliati iU ^(>lltlll>l'tl pMi't. 
 
 |{«'t\v«UMi 'Im' wr^ltJiii, nv iicoimii , l)orfl»'i' "t* \'ariri»iiv«'f 
 I^IiukI, iiikI ilio riiaitiland coa^t, there In (■(triHitlirahlu <lit- 
 feieiH'c, ill lavnr of iiicieaNed tlryiu-Ns urul ^icaftM' tluTino- 
 nu'liital iaM;;t'. That is, it hccorno^ nddiM- in mid-wintoi', 
 ami hotter in mid Hiuiinier than on tiit* oittur e«>aNt (d' Ihu 
 inhind. Milt the extreme in leither heai^on in a hard-^hi]), 
 iind, on the whole, Xew \Ve»tmiii-«ler and the ru'vv elly oC 
 N'aiu'oiivi'i' have an oven inoio a^^rt'eahh' < Ijjnate than \'ic- 
 toria. l'eo|(h( wear the >ame (dotlies the year round, .ind 
 an iiiiihrelhi munt he a pretty eoiistant part of onus outfit, 
 tixeept (hirin:^ the loim and heaiiliriil autumn, vvhiidi in like 
 a far-extended Indian ^uiiiiium-. 
 
 The «^\pl;malion ttf this eiiinatt) Iijih alroady hoon hinted 
 at. The water of the racilic \h warm IM) decrees warmor 
 th;m that of the North Alhmtic near Canadian .•<horeH. 
 
 The prevailiiii-' soiiih-weMterly winds, Hweepiiii; over its 
 MUrfiiee, are raised to (he ternperaliiio of the walcM-, and 
 boeoiiK! saturated with moisture, ahstruetiiii,^ fr«»m it, and 
 ronderiny' " Latent, '' in eonformity with \velld<iiown |)hysieal 
 lawH, a htill greater (luaniity of heal. Wh n, on reaeliin;^; 
 I he iiioiiiitainouH eoai t, this moisture is condensed and dis- 
 ehar^'od, the latent heat heeoinos a<;ain ap|):irenl, and 
 ^nratly ralse> the temperature of the atmosphere in wdiieh 
 the roaetion oeeurn. Hence the coast climate of the whole 
 north-west coast of North America is waini. The mean 
 annual temiicratiiic of Sitka is nearly the same as that of 
 Montreal. 
 
 That the climate is wot as well as warm, is owiii^- lo the 
 otl'ect of the hei^dil of the coasts. The heaviest rainfall 
 occurs in exact correspondoneo with the height to which 
 the moist air is forced into the higher regions of the atmos- 
 phere, and cooled there by its expansion and loss of heat 
 hy radiation. In projmi tion to the elevation of the islands, 
 and the degrees in which they shvdter the mainland coast 
 from the rain-bearing wintln, the ruin fall on the opposite coant 
 
 i 
 
I 
 
 rihtiiih of /hi Citnnillmi Writ 
 
 h7 
 
 II, 
 1 
 
 {m moi'O or h^H, rill' •■•iinpuriitivoly I(>h« iiiintiill ot iho 
 »'OHMl of llio H»uilli-w»'NltM'h MTiioii i.t'tln' tiitiiiiluhil, (Now 
 WcwimliHtiM' "lUfiii't) tliiiii laillioi iioitli, |h owihLC •'» llio 
 (kl'^lrtK'liDii of part ol' tlitt riiointun'or llii> rain-licuriii^ wIikU 
 hy tlioir HliiUin^' the moiuilaiiit on Nuiu'ouvor I*lan«l t wli ro 
 it In voiy wot), and to ili<> Iowiiomm '•( t)ir laii'l alxMil tlio 
 nioiiili ot tlif l*'ra.xoi' rivoi-. 
 
 This (laiii|)iu«-«>4 |ii'o(|u('0'^ that oxtiaMnllnat'y ;xi'"^^'''' '»f 
 ^M^aiitic fori'-*tH ami vr^^otation thaia<it'ri?*iii' ol'thi' I'acillr 
 Mhtpo; hut this v<«;x^''"l''>'i '" 'li«'liri(tly noilhfrii in typo, 
 and thf (diinatp is lar lotnovi'd tVorn a tropical one, \vh<i«» 
 Niiniinor i> ulrrtial and proportioniiiily tiKM vatin<^ to man 
 and hotiHt. It JH. on th«« contrary, though drior and ot«>adi(>r 
 than I'in^hind, in ordinary s(>aHo!i'> tiot iiidiKi- tlic wrxt^rn 
 coimtios, inorr particiihirly Dovon an I (-ortnvall. 
 
 I'asHin^ ovor tho iiniidiMhitcd ran;fo> popularly Utiown a.«* 
 th('(>as(adc'H, whoso siiniinits roach otornal tVo>t, and whoso 
 H^or^jos aro wot and (h'nsoly wt»odcd, wo onior^o on thin sido 
 into a wholly dilVcrt'iit I'l'^ion. ln>load of thr lowhunU of 
 t lu^ l*Va-cr delta, and t ho forosts of aln)o.'<t i ropjial liixiirianco 
 that (diok'o tho narrow niountain-valloy-*, whoso slopes ar«' 
 runniii;^' with copious >t'i';ini^ led liy an almost im-ohsant 
 rainfall, wo have hero, in tin- interior of Hriti>h ('olinnhia, 
 wido aroUM of ;ira^>y plaloiix and loundod hilltops. Tin' 
 rainfall of lhi> Noiit horn intorior i>, in fact, ^li^ht .*ind intortnit- 
 tont, aiul i.s inMitlicionl foi' .-t^ricidtiiro, so that i:ii niing imiihI 
 roly upon irrigation. l''oi' ^razin^', howovor, i Iuh condition of 
 things is nioHt favorahic, ami stocdcraising is likoly to l»o tho 
 princi])al industry as lur north a- tho roii/^di, wooded country, 
 which he^insHOinoSllinilos north of tho railway. Not tliosky 
 is ofton heavily cloiidi'd ; hut thes(^ clouds .-«wi'ep ovorhead 
 from west to oast without shedding a drop of rain, though it 
 nuiy fall for <Uns at a time on the Tnouiitain> each side. 
 The explanation, uiidoubludly is: thut the hot air, ascend- 
 ing from the heated and ti-oeiess plateau (continually hiioys 
 up tho (douds, and at tho same lime Ueops them warmed 
 ahovo tho ])oint ot' condensation. Onee in a while tliero is 
 tin ititorrupiioii of this oipiilibriuni in tho shape of what is 
 
CnniitluiH Hitoril oj ^'itH'^, 
 
 lullu'l a '*rlnii<l l*ut'>t," wiii'ii Mill mill wilt (UtI in a •lolii^o 
 iipoti NMtiii> timitt^l ■<|»:t•'(^ It imy inily hoNuiil ol'a ruf^ion liko 
 thin, lliui il lu'voi- rain-' l>iii ii |tomM, TIiIh mIimhIv diyhonw of 
 rlirnuir, <imi|>|i><| with iu F.iniill altiimlo, niiilon iIk* Kant- 
 InopH ttiitl (Miiiia^aii •liNliU'tt a inii^l uxcfllciil it>hi'ut tor 
 |M'iNiinK with |)uliiiMnat-v tntihii|i<>s, ami many iihmi aif living 
 th«Mo ill iu'iillh, wliu, wiiiilil iiui hav«' hiii vivctl within yi'iiin of 
 thir< iinM> had thfv ii'tiiaiiK"! in oa^turn ( 'ana<la. lii'io, whuro 
 lh«' tlitM tiioiii(>t«'i' tiNt*>« occaHionally lo 110^ in inid Hiinwnor, 
 and I 111* ht(«o/c i^ lil<(« thv hi'(*ath tVom thodoorota t'liinaii*, the 
 lioaHtrui naliM'-" hiiv«> much in way of tlu» i'titV»'»«hliiK *dloct 
 ofilio cool nights, So Ihry do on ihi< coa-*!, wlnM'«'lln' vory 
 nil* JHHonu'iimuH ^rtany with warm hit-am and your ••titMi^tli 
 <llxHolv«>H iih in aTiii kihh hath. Hut that cliiim in :i inatUu' ot 
 coitix'! Ir iIm'I'c iiH onu ihin^ in this dohi>-iv() world moio 
 coi'tain thiin anotht'r. it \h that (noiy hon of Adam will lull 
 hi> ti'iundh (and mohl oC all \\\h vunrnvHl) thai where /if' 
 liveH lln> iu;,'htH 100 eool and there are no moh(|uitoeH. 
 
 Hul l<» re^wnl(). The wind« that havo swept un^eiu'roUhly 
 over tho Kamioops downn iiro eompelled to yii'M their biir- 
 doMH of moi^iiire to the mountains on thi^ ^<idu of tho ^roat 
 Thompson K'iver hasiti. ileri! the (iold Kan^u, Hlri'tehin^ 
 north and >oiitli for 'JiM> miles alon^ tho wt^^tern hank of llu* 
 Colnmhia, roars itH aneioiit peaks into tho nUy and interriiptH 
 tho wo>lorly i^miIch. Striking,' this cold harrior, tho air Ik 
 suddonly condtMisod and dro|)s its rain. One would think, 
 after scein/,; the downpour upon IIm' ("a>eades thai litllo 
 would he hilt in llie (douds for any rei^iou heyond ; yi't tho 
 (lold l»an;;o is as d:imp as tho Caseado, and its fountains 
 nourish the;,;reat ^roup oft ho Shush wap and Okinagan lakcri, 
 and keep alive many rivers of tho first ehiss. 
 
 Hutthotiold IJange is only tho wostornmosi of throohu^o 
 mountuin-ranks, whi<h to^othor form tho groat Conh'lleraof 
 Canada, a holt of snowy mountains 250 miles in width, it 
 is tifty miles across tho Gold jiango from (Jioat Shuswap 
 Lako to the (!olumhia rivor : It is sixty miles aii'oss tho 
 Solkirks from tho Columhia on the west to (ho same rivor 
 on tho oast of tho rango ; and it is 125 milos from that river 
 
 1 
 
 
 I 
 
(Vihiiilf of flit CiimliitH Wfil, 
 
 %^ 
 
 IS 
 
 Ik 
 
 10 
 
 I 
 
 1 
 
 lU'ro"" iIm' ll'M'ky Moiinfiilim i«» tlM< |>liuif<. Xoii<* mI' lliiHifl 
 tlit'iM> (livir«i<)ii« iM li»i'nii*<l Ity a ^iii^li> liiiu ol'i'Utvatintio, hut 
 (•It'll n>n^l»tM r)t littvM mill ^nMipo of ni)>iiriitiiif iiIihomI 
 iihlrai'OHl>l«< ill ilirii* * untiixiDii. TIm*v hIiiidI ailiwail 
 
 * 
 
 pi'cvailiii^ V'iixU, uiiil IhiimIkhU oi their peak- ri«o liii' into 
 tho rliill rr^ii'MM ot' ii|)|m>i' air, wlino winiut* in |t(Mi>iiiiial. 
 Till* lii;;lK'Mt ai.< iiuaiml tin* oa^liTii ImiiiIpi*, aixl liy tlit* tiiiir 
 tho wiinln fVoin ihi* I'aiilli' CtHiht l>avt' •«tru^^lt't| l*i>i\vt*i>ii 
 tho < la^'^jiml ww»'|>t ai'itt<.<. ihi* witio i^tiiovv llrlilw ami |ro hitU 
 of lh(> S(tlkii'l<x ami tho Kickiiu, i)i(>y nii* :iliiiM«t ii" <lry an 
 the •liiMt ni'ti tloiit' iiiill, llfiH (>. i)rniui*«(>, tlii> mitt till! ami 
 sriDW-riill a'T tar uiratiM' in ilit> (ioltl ami S(*lkii k taii^i*^, liint 
 oiH'oiiiitcrnI, that! ill the Hticlvic^; and tho W('^*u>i ii hide •>(' 
 (•a« h raiii'r in tar inoto wot than tho oa<-toin. Tho wtiuwtall 
 in tho Solkirkn atiioiintH to iilioiii .'{(M'l. in <lo|>ih, y«'t wintor 
 thi'iu iH hardly Ihrco months lo'ii;, iind tho woathoi, at ii 
 ruh>, is NO niild that t'vploroi'H and wntkinon liiid litllo 
 inoonvrnionoo ill tcntH and shantio^, and ato only roint'ort* 
 aiijo at Work hy takint;; oil all tlicii' ('oai> :iiid lalxnin^^ in 
 tlu'ir whiriblofVoM. In lln' IJockio', on tho o<inlrary, tho 
 rtnow-lidi is .'oiiijiarMlivi'ly li-hl, and what t'nIU wast»(H 
 r;i|iidly, >o ihai Iho railway i-< lo'vor in<-oniniodi>d in tliirt 
 nin;;o. Tho oold, on tho contrary, i^ oftfii very >o\ I'lo, and 
 tlu- wintor of lon^or iliiration Ih.iii in tlu' Sclkiik>. 'I'Ium 
 (•ontrust Im oiihily oxplaiiM'd : We luivo noi-n liai thowaiin 
 and damp oiirronts of air Iroin tho Paoitic On ;in aro^iadii* 
 ally dopiivod of'tlioir tnoihtiui' !•} condt'iisatioi, Muaiii'-i tho 
 oold poaks of lln' (iold and tho Solkirk ran^'t'.s ni' moniitainM, 
 HO that llicy roaoli the liiKd\ii'> almohl di-y. Tho vory liift 
 of iti^ contu^t with iho ioo and snow inii>l cdmI llii> air sotn*' 
 wlial, of fomsi', hut tho philosopliioal t-xplanaiion i> hchind 
 thi^— tho irarm winds of the coa^t arc root, winds in the 
 Kockio>, hccjiiiso thoy lia\o hoconu' dry winds. In ,u;ivini; 
 lip thoir inoistii'O hy condcn-ation thoy havo lost h«'at ; and 
 in thoir turthor raiiticatioii, due to ihoir hifty flight ovortho 
 iii^h poaks, thoy havo i)artcd with still moic heat, in exact 
 propoi'tion to tho hoi^lit ot their ascent, livoryono wiio hus 
 c'limbod a mountain or gone up in a balk^on, has noto(i how 
 
90 
 
 CiiNn//iiu/ Ihcnnl of Sth //re. 
 
 tho ciMdne-^s of tlu' ail- iiiriouscs in pacowitli its i-aiilication. 
 J'l'ofbssor ArcCloc'l, ill ilu* second Uichirc of this coiirKC, 
 matlo this pi. tin liy his iliai;rain>. -'howiii^ iiow an iiK-roaso 
 of allituile aliovo Ihn x-a i^ ('(iiial lo an incroaso ol' liUiliulc 
 iiway from tho l'!([uatnr, until, on iho tops of wvy lofty 
 mountains truly polar woathor t-xists. Thf siiminith of the 
 (.'iistcrn Kockii's arc not miioh hi^'licr, howcvur, than the 
 crcHtH oi' the (ioM and Selkirk lan^c-- ; ami they arc colder 
 thsm their moie u'cxtcrn compeers, not hecause they are 
 hiu;hcr, hill heeiuiso they are more inland, and heneo recoivo 
 air already dry, raritiod and well edolcd. 
 
 It i> this chai'acteristie of the atmos|)iiero of the oastorn 
 side of the liockies — in tho neii;dihorhoi)d <if iiintV Splines, 
 Ibr instance — whleh i^ives it smdi a sanitary value, i)artieu- 
 larly in ilisuuses of the lung's and thi'oat. 
 
 Now lei us make a hasty review: The winds of Hritish 
 Columhia are, brnadly spealcini;', from tho west. They are 
 warm from the ocean, and loaded with moisture. (Jondens- 
 in<; into fo^ at the coast, tiiey ^dve a uniform. I'^n^lish like, 
 miig-;L;"y climate aloni;- the Pacific coast. I''urther condensed, 
 they are less lon'ijjy. Init produce a more cloudy slcy and 
 heavier rainfall on the coast niouiitaiii>. liaised 1(» the 
 elo/ation of the crest of the Cascades or Coast raii^e, they 
 take a tlyini;' leap acio>^s the interior basin, dischaiginL;- 
 little rain on (he Tliom])son \alley, — leaving it subject to 
 extreme cold in winter. exce-.->i\'e heat in summer, and 
 drought all the time. Condcinsed again by the Gold Eange, 
 the moi.st winds give those mountains rain and heat almost 
 equal to that of tho (^oast Eange. Condensed still further, 
 by the Selkirks, there is a copious i-ainfall and snowfall upon 
 these mountains, and a further giving u|) of wai-mth, which 
 greatly teinj)ers the climate ; but by the lime the Selkirks 
 are past, the winds havt' lost nearly all theii* moisture and 
 warmth, and have been rai'iHed by being forced to an aver- 
 age height of seven or eight thousand feet. Hence, when 
 they pass to the liockiesthcy are dry and cool in summer — 
 dry and very cold in winter. What little humidity and 
 warmth they may i-etain is almost lost on the westoj'ii Hlope, 
 
 I 
 
 
Climiifr of the Cdtindiiin lIVs/. 
 
 01 
 
 lllvC, 
 
 I 
 
 ami at the uiiunil oftlu^ I{(tcl<it'> iIk' atinospliorc is almost 
 licrfcctly thin, diy aii'l fold. The (.'aslcni slopo of llio 
 Hot'Uios is sparsely supplied willi trees, aiid tlinse of small 
 hi/e. wliilr tlie riviis ai-e scaiitv. excopl ilii>>e tod Ky the 
 gliiciei'H and i;roat snow hanUs (•on>t'i'vod upon the eold 
 eenti'al heights, and slowly dnlcd out to keoj) tlir streams 
 runninii-. No great freshets occur, as happen■^ upnn the 
 i'acilie slope. 
 
 Vet the eastern foothills of the K'oekics have a milder 
 climate, and earlier spi'ing and less snow than the westi-rn 
 base of the range. Why? Owing to theChinoolc winds, 
 jjiit what are the Chinook wintls ? ( 'urrents of wai'in aii- — 
 broad sheets — eataiaets — of warm aii' tailing down in mid- 
 winter from the tojt of the UoeUies. Hut why, if the air 
 on the ere>l, where the wide spaees of snow lie. is deadly 
 (•1)1(1, should the lireezen deeending from those snow-tields 
 he eiimfortably warm in winter ? Sini])ly because they do 
 descend. 
 
 Hero is the reversal of the previous condition. The air 
 ascending the westci'n side and ai the toj) of the Kockies is 
 colli because it is losing its moisture and becoming rariliiid ; 
 the air descending the eastern slope becomes condensed, 
 picks up moisture with cver\' j)art of its descent, and coi' 
 I'Cspoudingly (levelo])s, or gives up, the latent lu^at which 
 invai'iably acconij)anies condensation, The ('hinoolc, then, 
 is a warm dry wind, manufactured on the spot by the 
 condensation of the mountain air as it sweeps down, increas- 
 ing in density, absorbing moisture, and 3ielding up its 
 latent heat. In summer the same bi-ee/.c seems <'Ool in 
 comparison with the fierce radiation of the baked plains; 
 but it is e(|ually a Chinook. 
 
 This wind is marvelous in its etfect. To it is duo the 
 pleasing dryness of even the deepest gorges and nooks in 
 the rocks in summer, while in wintei- it clears the plains Ibi* 
 hundreds of miles away from the mountains of neai-ly all 
 the snow — always scanty in amount — with amazing celerity. 
 A northei-n gale will blow for two or three days, foix'ingthe 
 mercury below zero, and bringing all the wide plains under 
 
 I z ') "> 4 -^f 
 
92 
 
 Cunudiiin Record of Science. 
 
 a toot or two ol'(lrirto<l snow. (!attlo. hordes and wild ^amo 
 can only liiiddU^ in Hhollcrod hollows oi- hide anion;? tlio 
 proves aloni:; tho rivor banks and lio))(> for Uilter tinios. 
 vVll the })asturo is covorud with a hiankfl of snow, too dcop 
 to lot an animal i:;c't a hiteof g-i-ass- Thon tho wind lulls 
 and a hroozo from tho wost s]»riiii;'> ii|). It is warm — 
 almost halmy in coiili'ast to tho hititi'^- oaslcidy oi' noithorly 
 nnow-galos. Noar the mountains only a tow hours siitficos 
 to lick up all th(^ snow, oxoopt from the gtdlics, into which 
 it may havo driftod to a groat depth, (.'attlo and horses 
 find tho grass (vxposod, and rt^sumo their fooding. Tho cold 
 has done them no harm, for thoro has boon no wot snow or 
 sleet, Tho gonial iutlucmco of tho halmy wost wind is folt 
 fai' down tlio Macken/io, enabling tlio buffalo to wandei* 
 almost as far as tho arctic circle in that part of tho country. 
 Winter thoi-e, in fact, is neither s(» long nor so severe as on 
 tho lofty j)laloaus fifteen hundrc<l miles southward, for the 
 height above thesea is only a few hundred, instead of several 
 thousand foot. McKon/io found si)ring along Peace iiivoi-, 
 in latitude 5(i°, so advanced by tho 10th of May that the 
 butfalo and then- young wore croj)ping tho new grass on 
 some of the most exposeil uplands. 
 
 Eastwai'd from tlio mountains tho intluence of the Chin- 
 ook gradually fades out, and is superseded by tho northerly 
 and southerly currents of Manitoba, which flow up and 
 down tho great trough of I>ako Winnipeg, the Tied River 
 valley, and the valley of the upper Mississippi 
 
 In i-espect to the climate of Manitoba and tho Saskat- 
 chewan prairies, there is one man to whom all of us are 
 indebted for information drawn from an untiring and early 
 experience, and sustained by a sound Judgment. I refer to 
 Prof. John Macoun. of the Geological Survey. His book 
 " Manitoba and the Great Northwest,'' is a most admirable 
 compendium of information in regard to all the natural 
 aspects of that great region, and 1 have had it constantly 
 before mo in wi-iting out these notes. 
 
 The Canadian plains, as has already been said, stretch 
 from Red River westward to the Rocky Mountains, and 
 
 I 
 
 I 
 
I 
 
 the 
 
 •etch 
 , and 
 
 I 
 
 ■I 
 I 
 
 (h'lnti/e of the Cntni/fian Wrsf. 
 
 0:1 
 
 northward to the forosts l>cy(>n<l llio Sankatclu'wan — an 
 area uh spacioiiH aM Ontario and <^)iiolioc i(tgollier. Over all 
 thin area a fair unifoi'inity of climate prevails, cliaractorized 
 by a liijjoi'ous, but conipaiatively short winter, oni'ly Hj)i'in^. 
 an intense and fairly rainy siiniiner, and a jirOiOnged i\i'y 
 autumn. The air is dry, healthy and iii\ ii^oratin;.;, the 
 warmth and rainfall lavoi-ablc to a^^riculture, the winter 
 weather and light snowfall well adai)te(l to success in i-aising 
 livc-s(()cl<. Indian-corn and apples can be gi-own to the 
 5t>th pai;illcl of latitude in Manitoba and still hii^hei' farther 
 west; while wheat, barley and alP the hanly vegetables 
 attain lull ripeness on the banks of the I'eace K'ivei", in 
 latitude 50'', —the parallel which touches the southein ex- 
 tremity of (rreeidand. 
 
 At Fort Diinvegan, on I'eace Kiver, thirteen degrees 
 noi-th of Toronto, or nearly as far as Cuba is south of it, the 
 winters, as 1 have said, ai-e milder than those of Manitoba 
 or (Jntai'io; and foi' the seven months, from A])ril to Octo- 
 ber, constituting the period of cultivation, Dunvegan and 
 Toronto do not vary moi-e than about one-half a degi-eo in 
 average temperature; while, as C()mj)ai'cd with Halifax, the 
 ditfei-ence is in favor of Dunvegan. The frosts there do 
 not lingi'i' in tiie spring as late as here in the neighborhood 
 of Montreal, nor do they begin so early in the fall; — and 
 eveiy^fhing which will grow here will rijjen there, in many 
 cases with greater luxui'iance. Out of 212 species of plants 
 seen along Peace River, near Dunvegan, 18>* grow in the 
 vicinity of Toronto, and the I'est are such as behuig to the 
 Saskatchewan plains. The list includes a native cactus ! 
 
 In view ot" these facts, it is evident that mere diffei'crice 
 of latitude is of small account; and when wo cojne to 
 examine the isothermal lines marking similai'ity of mean 
 summer temperature, we find thatlhc}' curve fai- northward, 
 the isotherm of ai\ average >ummei' temperature of (»5", 
 which is that of this ])art of Quebec, curving through 
 Georgian Bay, along the .south shoi-e of Lake 8u])ei'ior, and 
 swinging northward through Manitoba and north of the 
 Saskatchewan almost to Peace River. In otlier words, the 
 
 
f)4 
 
 CatKuiian Rec.onl of Srirnrfi. 
 
 tt'iiipi'iiiliiif ill funmior ol' llio Noi-tli Sahkalchovvan and 
 Peace Rivci' vallevs is siilotantiallv llio saiiu' as thai of 
 Moiitroal ami (^ih'lioc Similarly, llio i.^otJuM'TTial linoM that 
 paH.s tiiroii^'Ii llio thickly .settled (lifstricls near the soiitliorn 
 hoiiiiihii'V ol' the |»laiiis arc those of iioi'lhci'ii Ohio and 
 Illinois. Ill fact, i! is a tnitli provcid hy lon^ oliservutioii, 
 thai tli(^ MirniiHM' cliniate, in relation to u,:;rieiiltiire, Ih 
 warmer all over the \vesl(>rii plains than it Is in central 
 Ontario. Sprini^ opens earlier, too. Plovvin<^ is ywy often 
 he«;»in, all tiieloni^way from l{ed Kiver to the Roelvies, hy 
 th(* lant week in March; and in Manitoi)U, whieh is the 
 coldest corner, spring; is nevei* post|)oned heyond Api'il 5. 
 In the full, on the other hand, |)lowin^ may generally ho 
 eonlinnoil until the lirst of Deeeniher, and sometiniOH much 
 later. 'J'he l.ethhridge Ncirs, oi' Fchriiury Kit h, this year, 
 (Lethhrid<,;e is near I'oit MeLeod, 100 miles south ol' Cul- 
 gury), >say.s ; " Winter is generally helioved to ho practically 
 at an ein! The ihermomoler I'ogi.sterod 57'^ at noon." 
 I'^arly in April, then, tlu; sun dissipates the light snow, the 
 dry air evaporates it. leaving the ground dry, and plowing 
 and seeding go on .simultaneously. In u tew days the seed 
 germinates, owing to the hot sunshine. The roots rectdvo 
 an ahundance of moisture fr. -m the thawing soil, and j)ene- 
 Irate l<; an astonishing depth into the loosened loam. Jiy 
 the time the rains and heal of .lune have come, abunduiico 
 of I'oots havt' foriui'd and the cro[) rushes to quick' maturity. 
 The enoriiious crops are owing just as mu(di to the oponiiig 
 power of the frost a.> to the I'ertility of the soil ; this is a 
 |)eculiai'ly favorahle etl'cct of the switl change from sharp 
 cold to intense heat which characterizes the climate of that 
 j'egion. The summer weather is often extremely hot — I're- 
 quently reaching 100 degrees; but this is a scorching, not a 
 sweltering heat. It is the direct burning of the sun's rays 
 — not a heat resident in the air: hence you mark an in- 
 stantaneous and grateful I'dief when you step into the 
 shade, or catch the breeze. Sunstrokes and loss of vigor 
 through heat, which so (>ften accompany summer days here 
 when the mercury may not go so veiy high, arc almost un- 
 
i'liiiiah' ()/ flir (^(ttititlinti Wist. 
 
 96 
 
 lb' 
 
 lilliCO 
 
 irity. 
 
 Miii:g 
 in 11 
 
 hai'p 
 Lluit 
 
 -IVe- 
 
 iiota 
 riiys 
 
 II iii- 
 the 
 igor 
 hero 
 
 t un- 
 
 kriown ofrcctM in tlic W'ost. I lH'silnf«> to in«'rili(»n (lie doui' 
 old cliiinj of cool lUH-hts. (IrcmliiiH- your .smiles, yet i( is :i 
 fact lliiil Us u rule tlioy arc too cool to sleep iiiicover«'tl ; and 
 a sulfri/ ni^ht is more rai'c, cvi'ii, tlian a sultry da\'. Tins 
 liiteMhity of tlio lieat makes up loi- llie comparative sliort- 
 nosH of the season of cultivation, ur^in<;" y'rain to a far 
 i^rcatei' celerity of ^I'osvth than |»roceeds in tnoiv soutlierly 
 latitudes: noi' should it he foi\i:;ottcn iliat tlie liii;'ii latitude 
 jUfives tjreatcr length of days — far more sunshine and gi-ow- 
 ini:: tinic in each .11 hours — than can he had fiiiihcr 
 south. On tho Saskatchewan in midsummer I he ni;;hls are 
 otdy foui" or live hours lonij;. It thus happens that veii'etu- 
 tion has ahout as jnany workini;- hours, no to speak — houi's 
 when suidight is])rom()tini;\i;;r()\vih — b<'t\veen seed time and 
 harvest, as in the loni;'ei' season hut shorter days of Iowa. 
 
 This inci'casod "ener^jN' of growth has been remarkably 
 manifested in some instances. The early spring wheat cul- 
 tivated foi- forty years in the Selkirk settlement, before the 
 birth of Manitoba, was originally an Knglish winter wheat. 
 Mori' lately a winter wheat from Pennsylvania was trans- 
 formed iiitoaspring wlieat in Maiutoba after a singleyeur's 
 i'e|)roduction. The seed of a certain kind of Indian corn 
 cidtivated about Winnipeg was two weeks later in maturing 
 when sown neai' St. Loins, whence it iiad originally been 
 brought ; but ([uiidvuess in coining to maturity is in fact, char- 
 acteristic ot all the plants indigenous to the Northwest, 
 and is a (|uality s]»eedily accjinred by im)»oi'ted i)lants — u 
 point not only in agriculture, but a pretty fact for tho 
 evolutionist to ruminate upon. 
 
 Furtheimoro, the cool moist spring checks an undue 
 luxuriance of Htom, and allows tlu; .strength of the grain- 
 plant to be expended on the head and fruit (that is the 
 grain) which is what the prairie cultivator, unsolicitou.s 
 in I'egurd to manure, seeks to perfect. This vigoi' given 
 to vegetation in cold climates is in accordance with the well 
 formulated law that ciUtivaied plants yield theii- greatest 
 product near the northernmost limit at which they will 
 grow. Jlice and cotton ai'c tropical plants, yet the products 
 
96 
 
 Cnnnilinn Ixrnmf of Srienre. 
 
 of l>(»th lliem; |)l!uit> in (io<>r;,na unci South Curolliui, ulmoHt 
 at I lie iiorlliorii limit of llu'ir laii^^^c, wtiiiul tii'ht. in com- 
 moiciiil I'iiiiU in tlu'ir rospt'clivo iniiiUcts. Indian ('((iri, or 
 maize, is Hiih-ti'opical, :niil irt tliK WosI Indies ^rows to a 
 liei/^^lil i»r.'5(> I'eet, l»iit heai's only a fovv stunted socmIh, insloud 
 of llu' 125 bushels to the a<M'o sometimes ;j;ath(>i'od in Now 
 York stale, where ilm .stalks aie hardly onu-eighth as hi^Mi ; 
 whilo tin' first prize tor niimher of Uornols and ^onoi'al 
 porl'oi'tion was <^ivon to eorn i^i'own last, year noar Winni- 
 pog, in eomiHitilion with tho whole d' the IJnitod States. 
 The potato, indigenous to (ho ecpuitorial zone, hoeomoH 
 really ijoed only in the (ompeiate zoiio, afid tinost of all in 
 tho more nortliL'rly loealilies. Tho Northwest can heat tho 
 woi'ld in its j)otatooH and tuberous venotabloH generally — 
 another outrii^'o on j)oor Ii'oland ! 
 
 As for wheat — overvono inl(>rosted in those mattei's 
 
 ou^-ht to lead the remarkable facts stated by Mr. J. W. 
 
 Taylor, U.S. Consul :it \Vinnij)ei;', in his numerous writings 
 
 and spoeidies on this subject. Hei'o a^ain it is along the 
 
 northoi'ii part of ils i-ango th;it the best product is obtained. 
 
 Tho tinost wheat gr )wn in luii'opo comes fi-om tho Baltic 
 
 shoi-es ; and in tho United States fiom Minnesota and 
 
 Dakota; and in this im|)ortant grain we have our most 
 
 stiiking example of what the climate of the Canadian West 
 
 is in relation to agriculture. In soulhorn Minnesota, Iowa, 
 
 etc., more than two well-formed grains of wheal aie seldom 
 
 fouufl in each cluster oi" fascicle forming one of tho rows in 
 
 ahead In Manitoba and Assiniboia (whore tho shortness 
 
 of tho straw is sur])rising to a stranger), three gi'ains are 
 
 habitually found. This is an addition of ono-thii'd to tho 
 
 yield of each acre. That means 30 bushels on the average 
 
 instead of 20 — S15 instead of SIO an acre at present prices. 
 
 But wheat gi-own along Peace River often shows four and 
 
 five grains in tho cluster ! 
 
 This is not tho whole of the story. Tho kernels are 
 harder and better tilled out than southwai'd; and it is an 
 established fact that varities of wheat classed as " soft " in 
 the Mississippi states regain thoirtlinty texture and become 
 " hard " in the Northwest. 
 
 i 
 
 I 
 
 i 
 
 I 
 
 4 
 
f 
 
 Climnli ul llir. ('nniii/inii ll'«.«/. 
 
 !p7 
 
 I 
 
 I 
 
 Diiriri;^ Mtiy, Jtmc mii'I .Inly niiii, ^(Mirf.-illy in tlio focm 
 of thun(l(>r-Mli<)W(M's, i>. oi Mlrnost <ljiily occiirrotico ; ho iliat 
 iImm'I! is no luck of inoislurc tor tlir >ii>li iiiincu of tho i^iow- 
 iii/^^'rop"*. Just wlion iIk}- ntcl ii most. This diininishes 
 toward tlio west, Imwcvoi-, iind vvli(»n llio pltili'iiii hcyond 
 the Cotmu <le. Missouri, with :in oh'vnlion of :{,0(i(), is 
 roachod, Humnioi- showois nvr less fr(ji|Mont, and certain. 
 I'A'un hori^, howovcr, it i^ (juito siitlicicni, uh oxporioiii'o 
 shows, until the vui-y foot-hilU oi' ihu K'ockios aro ap- 
 proachod, when irri/^'atioti hocotnos n(M'o>sary to succoss in 
 farniiiijL,'. Ovor tho ;!;reat muss of i lie tilhihlo prairio>, how- 
 ever, flrou<;lit eaiiNos MO approhonsion ; and thci'o Is a huliof 
 ahroud that as wire foncos, I'ailway lines, hiiJhlinn's and 
 othei" lii^htnin<; conductors spread ov(!r the plains, a ^ijreator 
 electric e([uilihi'iuin will he* rnaintaiiuvl, and rain will tend 
 to tiill moi-e fro(|Uenlly and efpuiltly than heretolore. 
 
 Attei' the middle! of .July I'ains are few, and diirinu; harvest 
 cease alloi^olln^r. This is another marlced advantai^e over 
 our eastorn provinces, whore farmers have to contend with 
 wet harvost-woathei' nearly every year. 
 
 irai'\est bei^ins by tho tirst of August, and is uninter- 
 rupted. Hay has boiin been stacl<ed in the open air i|iiit(( 
 unprotected, for the farmer is Min^ that no delni^in;^ rain.s 
 will fall upon, nor meltin<^ snows sinlc into it, to wash out 
 its juices or mildew it midernealh. The u'r;iin is slackod 
 uncovered in the fields and tiireshed in the open air without 
 fear of harm thr()uu;li ilampnt'ss. Vou will see everywhere 
 small stables for stock, some small i^ranaries, and cellars for 
 keepinjii; v»\i(etables; but hai-dly ever a barn for ntoring hay, 
 straw OI- i^rain. The climate renders it unnecessary. 
 
 Over the whole of Canada'^ :;'i'eat west tho climate is 
 equally favorable for livestock. As is is u.sual in northerly 
 refijions, the iri'ns.ses are of the best, and by reason of tho 
 absence of fall rains and wot winter snows, they dry up on 
 the stalk — are cured into i-eal b.ay as they stand, instead of 
 rotting; and their nutritious juices are never washed out of 
 them. Horses, cattle and sheep fatten on this prairie grass 
 as well as upon the richest meadows of Ontario, and cows 
 
08 
 
 Caniiiliiui llernrtt of Srirmr. 
 
 ^ivo an rxfranidin.'ny (pumtiiy <»r niilU, svliilo iIm' <lry- 
 nOHs ot tli(> ait' art<l iiroiiixl is ONprcially iuvoi'altli! lo Kliui)|) 
 lis well a- cai tic. 
 
 IIow till' < '.'miuliaii plaiiH, in spito <>{' ilicir iiitoiior and 
 tun'tluM'ly situation, ronic to iiavr so waiin ami iliy a 
 rtiniatc ii worthy a inonicnt's coiisidoi-alion, tlioii/^li tho 
 in-ii iK'lioii wliith tins inidioru'O lias already m-uivotl Iroiii 
 I'rot'i'ssor Mi't/h'od. inaUrs any !'oinaiU> from mo hardly 
 not'dt'iil. 1 1 is lo lio rcnKMnhiM'dd that south of w»'stoi'n 
 Canada lie-, ilic vast plains country of tin- United State's, iiii 
 arid space thou"«ands of sjjuarr niiios In (extent, towards 
 which Mhw >toadily the warm currents <»!' air from tlio 
 (riilf of Mexico, atliiK'tcd l»y the healod air issuini;' from 
 llu'si' ample Mpacos of triudess land. The ground liocomos 
 halved, and the .aii-. heated by contact with it, rises i-arilicd 
 in enormous volumes, sucUini;- in the nnrfhward-!)Ound 
 currents lo lake il- place, and at Hm^ samo time buoying 
 them up and |)i(>vontini;- the condensation oi- lu-ecipitatiori 
 ol' moisture. This overflow of hoalod aii* conlinually dritts 
 polewai'ds. or northward. wheri\ it must not be for;,'otlon, 
 llie land is (ai- lower; and as il^oes it is joined by .similar 
 euri-onts from the .VevaiJa and Idaho deserts, and from I he 
 coast of Calil'oi-nia an<l ()l•e^•on. Combined, this current 
 pours steadily northward, atlractcd by the rai-itied air now 
 rising' from the Canadian plains, and still bearing a lai-f^e 
 part of its orjn-inal nioi>lure. 
 
 But over the Saskatchewan valley il meets the cooler air 
 flowin;:; from the north, also attracted by the heated ])ruirioH, 
 and in ccmtact with this coolini>- curi-ent the moisture of 
 the south and west wIiuIh is condensed into clouds and falls 
 as rain. A secondary characteristic of this movement in 
 the diversion of the iiorthward-blowiiii;- wind eastward, al- 
 though, as the earliei- leoturei's in this Course have shown 
 us, the natural tendency of these antitrades is toward the 
 west. 
 
 Hut as winter a))])roaches the conditions arc altered. The 
 cooling of the plains diminishes thoii- attractive ])ower, and 
 the warm southerly wind.s tend away from the east, toward 
 
 1 
 
C/imnff (if fhc ('iimuliini Ifi-.s^ 
 
 99 
 
 H' 'Iry- 
 
 II Iho 
 
 lur^o 
 
 I 
 
 llic wt'sl, in :m'('oi(|;iii('u with co^niic lawrs. |)u\vii tunii llio 
 llitllli roliji' I ho roll ami ili-y wifnU, llli(|ii'rkt<(l l»\ uiiy 
 obHtucli', tunl llio hot hi'i>ath ot' Iviliis js dvcichiiio hy u tVonty 
 hhiHt iVoin llnit'ia^' loM tluM-liH. How rtsiuaikiihly <lill'or»»tit 
 Would \)V> thu cliinuto of Maiiiloha vvoru thuiu a hi^h I'uiiifU 
 of tiioittiiaiii> iielwt'iMi il ami IIii<Uoii'h Bav : or wim'o tlio 
 Sa>kaU'howun c>('i'Ui»ii«<l l)y an t!\t»'n«ivo iiil.itnl >na ! 
 , It a|)|)Oai's, ihuii, that (apait tVoin thr iiilliiiMM'i' ot' thu 
 ChiriooU, (liio to Iho prcHotKi^ <*t' iln' UocUy Moiiiitaiiis) tho 
 I'oason the Cariailiaii Xoilhwost iMiJoys >o warm and com- 
 |»arativoly rainy a cliinato !-, in a word, horaiiso it lion 
 northward of arid plains of rnindi hi^hor (>lovaiion. 
 
 In tlii-' sa* \o condition mhmii^ to hi- t'oiind the \aliialilo iiu 
 nuinily which wohln-n Canada, and the norlhorn horilcr 
 of United Stato> «'njoy i'rniu those ffarl'iil hli/./ardn that 
 duvasiutu Nouthorn halcota, and niako cattle and cattlu- 
 nien ^hivor oven (tii the coast of Ti'xas. These winds all 
 come IVom tho far Northwest, and havo blown, poihajis, a 
 tliousand miles across Canada hofoi-e thoy he(!ome hli/zards. 
 Milt their coiiiso ovor the Sa^katt•howall, (^irApiuilc and 
 Assinihoine plains, and down the Winnipeij; valley, is con- 
 tinually impelled. Kirst, the country is everywhore iinovon 
 and often broken by respectable hills ; second, lar<j;e areas 
 of it aro covered with a seriib of bushes, or dotted with cop- 
 ses of trees, all of whitdi check and divert the i;iil(!; thir<l, 
 those winds are moving steadily up gi-ade, ami their s|)eoil 
 is as continiioiiHly checked by friction against tho earth, as 
 is tliat of a railway train (dimbing a gi-adiont. A wind will 
 blow down bill faster than up, just as a stom; will roll down 
 hill easier than it can bo pushed up, Fimiliy. the air in tho 
 noi'th is so nearly tho tomperaluro of tho gale that it is not 
 «u(d<ed forward with greatly accelerated sjiecd, until it neiirs 
 the warmer latitudes where more heated a-id raritied air is 
 rising from the more southerly plains, and this col<l northoi-n 
 air is drawn in to till the vacuum. Hut bv tho time the 
 "norther" has reached Nebraska it linds itself blowing 
 across plateau-lands, at the top of the hill, where iliei-o is 
 not a bush nor tree nor range of hills to chock it, and the 
 
100 
 
 Camilinn litmni uf Sneimt. 
 
 vuciiittn i-* I'losf in InMit. It lla^« (Miun a ronptM'tuhlo wind 
 ill tlitt NoiiliwoHt ; u itM'i'iMo ^mI«> ill Monttitia; in Houllioi'it 
 Daknla aii*l N(<l>niNl<a it Ihu'imihh a <1(MiiIi <l(«aliii^ l»ii//.ai'(l, 
 I'ltor NolMaMJuiaiiil l)al<oia 'iiiist uUvayH expttct tlioiii ; ;{ratu< 
 I'lil .\>«siiiilMii,'i and Ail>orla n«>cd nuvor tuur (Immii. Ah t'ur 
 till) U«>d itivur Vullcv i'o;;ion, iis r^itiiation inaliOH it HiiliJDit 
 occaHionallv to a vnry roHpncialiltt iniiUiiioii of u regular 
 l>li/./.at-d , Ixii thin i>« a I'ar mror ami \vns hcvdi'O viHilatioti 
 than in Minncsotii, Hoiith of it. 
 
 How do till* people who live in tli«> North W'OHt liUu thiK 
 eliinale'i' 'I'liin iini\ t'rhully piai>«o it and laud o-'pocially itn 
 lu'althlulne,HS. They npimU oC it jim oxtioinely Hiiinulating 
 and eondiieivo to ;;ood MjiiiitH and conra^u, 
 
 Tho HKCi'ot ot'this in itwdryiioss. Tho atnioKpljore iMhii^ht, 
 mid wIkmi in winter it in very euld thore is .seldom any 
 wind, liUt a man lake ordinal'}' earo of himnell', and ho 
 will live loii;;er aii'l tjrow Ktron^c^- on these prairies than 
 anywhere else in the world. 
 
 A peculiar exhilMrati(.»n of liody and soul l)elon;;> to tho 
 elimate, espeeially in and ahoiit the Hoekic"", which is the 
 choiceHt ot re;;ions for eainpin^ oxciirHionH and sporting 
 trips. '• No man Hlimild desire a Hoft life," wrote Kin^ Alfred 
 thetiroat, hiil "* roii;^liin<^ it," within reasonahle ^rounilM, 
 is the marrow of a visit to the iJockioH. What a pungent 
 and wholesome savor to the tunte there is in the V(uy 
 phrase. The /.est with which otu^ ^<>es ahoiit an expedition 
 of any kind in the Uocky Mountains is phenomenal in 
 its(>lt ; I despaii- of niakiii;^ it credited hy inexperienced 
 lowliiiiders. VV\» are told that the ioy> of i'.'iradise will not 
 only he ^^reater than ('arthl\- plea>iires, hut that tluy will ho 
 still further ma,t;Miitied by our iiieioisedspiritual sensitivenesH 
 tothe*'^oo(l times" of Heaven. Well, in tho same w.iy, 
 the sensOH are so (|ui(dcenod by the clear, vivdyini;' elimato 
 of the western uplanls in summer, that an outdoor lifo 
 is tenfold more pleasurable there than it could bo in tho 
 east. And then, one'.s sl>'c./) in tho crisp air, after tho 
 fatigues of the <lay. is sound ami soione. You awake at 
 dayli;;ht, perhaps, readjust your camp-blankoi.s, and want, 
 

 J tIliK 
 
 Notes ON FoHHifs of tUini Fonnulion, 
 
 101 
 
 ai;uiri, to Hluop. Tlio <«iiii iimy )m)iii- loitli I'idim iIic " ^<>ltl«Mi 
 wiiiilow (if the Kunt, " unit tl'Mxl ihf wi>i'l<l Willi liii)|)i<i li^'lit; 
 tlu) ^tui"^ inuv palit uii<l iIm' jot ol'llio ini(ltii;;lii mUv I)u diliit- 
 tnl tn tltul palt' uiiM piMli't't mitrmni \A\u\ into whiclt you 
 ^a/.t* to iniMu>a>iit'ul>Ui dt plIi; tin* air may bocoino a pnvail 
 iii^ i'liatnpaifiiu, <try ami ilulicalc, every tli'au;;;ltl tit' which 
 titi^h'N thi* luii^N and HptiiM thu hlood aloti;^ the voiiiN wilh 
 joyoUM spoud i the hiiwUcapo may woo thi'uyo with aiiy tm- 
 diiUitioiiH ot'prairii' or Miiow-pointcd piuniiclcH littod sharply 
 a^Mitis! thi' a/.iii»' i yi^t ^h'fp rlaiins yoii. That voiy <|iialil> 
 ol th(^ almoNphiM'O whii-h roriti'ihiitcs to all this licaiiiy and 
 makos it so didicioiis to l»t) awako, mak<sK it oi|iially l»U'>sr(| 
 to hIimmIkm'. Kyiii^ tluM-(^ in tht* opon air, lMoathii);r tht^ 
 piiro elixir ol' the iiiitaiiitod moiiiilaitiN, you como t(» thitils 
 even tho coiiliuutm'iit of a llappin;; tont opprcHHivo, ami thi' 
 ventilation ofa sholtorin/; Hprueo-boii^^di bad. 
 
 V(M'y 
 lit ion 
 lal in 
 ■Mcod 
 II not 
 ■illhe 
 
 liMOSH 
 
 iinato 
 )V life 
 in tlu^ 
 !!• tho 
 like at 
 want.