1. Geography and agriculture: Historical landscapes of Canada
Mr Kuhn

2. The Maritimes
While the Maritimes are surrounded by an abundance of water, the majority of it is salt water
In order to overcome this, Acadians began to dike the salt water marshes in the Annapolis Basin as early as and successfully grew wheat, flax, and vegetables in the area
While areas such as Halifax had large tracts of arable land, they were used only for subsistence agriculture as the area had few markets
Eventually as the British took over the area and expelled a number of the Acadians the government began to sell plots as large 20,000 Acres
Newfoundland would go through a similar experience in the 19th century

3. Quebec
Agriculture was structured from the start as the First Intendant of New France, Jean Talon, introduced the Seignural System in 1665
This system worked by taking huge tracts of arable land and giving them to men favored by the French King (Catholic Church, Military and government officials…)
The Seignuer would than have tenants who would pay rent, farm his land, maintain his land, and pay rent for using mills, ovens, ect
These long farm lots were placed along the river which offered a source of irrigation and transportation
The system was abolished in 1854 but the long farms still dominate the river today

4. Ontario
Despite the Great Lakes region of Southern Ontario having the most fertile soil and longest growing seasons, it was not always used for farming
Originally, due to constant American threat the British used the banks of the Great Lakes as defensive bases with farmers in the remaining settlements behind
It was not until 1815 that farming settlements began to become dominant in these areas but chiefly as a source of subsistence farming
By 1850, virtually all the forest in Southern Ontario were cleared and all the best area was now farmed for wheat, garden items, and later tobacco
While Ontario’s landscape does not have as much land as the prairies, it has more than 50% of Canada’s top grade agricultural land (Class 1)

5. The prairies
Unlike Quebec, the Prairies farm plots were based off a Scottish System rather than a French Seigneurial System
The Scottish System placed farms in strips which were placed adjacent to a nearby river with land for both crops and pastures
Due to the need of the British to sell lots of land fast, the Prairies was sold in large plots which are till visible today
Whereas the land was there in the 18th and 19th centuries, it was until the 1870s that Alberta and Saskatchewan introduced a heavy system of irrigation which led to the boom in wheat farming

6. British Columbia
Historically, British Columbia is unique to Canada as it was founded on mining and furs rather than agriculture as most provinces were
While areas in 19th century British Columbia had created wheat fields, most of these were devastated as the railway was built and shipped in cheap wheat from the Prairies
Until the 20th century, dairy and fruit were British Columbia’s only significant crops in terms of agriculture
As large scale farming is relatively new to British Columbia, its land lot systems have been scientifically planned out rather than influenced by heritage
Example: Sumas Lake
The land now known as the Sumas Flats was once covered in a lake until it was drained into the Fraser River in 1924
Due to this land being created later in our history, is was able to be plotted scientifically and sold off by the acre ate rates of $ per acre

7. Today in the text… Free For All in America More on the French
My Man Thomas Jefferson
The Mexican Way of Dealing With Land
The Mexican American War
Farms, Fences, and Geography