Narrative of the Canadian Red River Exploring Expedition of 1857 : and of the Assinniboine and Saskatchewan Exploring Expedition of 1858 . aining the true natureand extent of the lignite beds on the Little Souris. Thegreat scarcity of wood in the prairie country, and allthrough the valleys of Eed Eiver and the Assinniboine,making the question of a permanently increasing settle-ment in a measure dependent upon the supply of fuelwhich may be obtained from other sources than those INDIAN CORN. 145 offered by the aspen-covered ridges, or the thin strips oftimber on the immediate banks of the river
Narrative of the Canadian Red River Exploring Expedition of 1857 : and of the Assinniboine and Saskatchewan Exploring Expedition of 1858 . aining the true natureand extent of the lignite beds on the Little Souris. Thegreat scarcity of wood in the prairie country, and allthrough the valleys of Eed Eiver and the Assinniboine,making the question of a permanently increasing settle-ment in a measure dependent upon the supply of fuelwhich may be obtained from other sources than those INDIAN CORN. 145 offered by the aspen-covered ridges, or the thin strips oftimber on the immediate banks of the rivers. In order to reach John Spences house, I passedthrough a field of Indian corn, and from the proprietor Iobtained the following statement respecting the culti-vation of this valuable grain. The kind of Indian cornmost common in the settlements is called the Horse-teethcorn, and it does not always ripen. The variety sown bySpence he termed the Mandril corn, the seed was pro-cured from the Indians near the head waters of the Mis-souri ; probably the Mandan corn would be the correctname. He had cultivated it for two years ; it ripened. Prairie Portage, Assinniboine River. well both years. One of his neighbours, a Cree Indian,had cultivated it for four years and had not met with anyfailure. Spence sowed his corn on the 1st June, andgathered it 10th September, or after a period of 102 dry seasons it ripens earlier, and is planted about the20th of May ; the wet spring of the present year retardedall agricultural operations. A small house adjoining theone in which Spence resided I found filled with a portionof his corn crop. The road from the village of Prairie Portage follows VOL. I. L 146 RED RIVER EXPLORING EXPEDITION. a general north-easterly direction for a distance of twenty-nine miles, before it turns south-westerly towards FortGarry. This deviation is necessary in order to avoidLong Lake, an ancient bed of the river, now convertedinto a narrow, winding lake of great l
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, booksubjectgeology, booksubjectindiansofnortham
