PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND. 107 now fourfold what they were in 1873 and would total the immensesum of $12,000,000. In 1872-3 the import revenue, with a tar¬ iff of thirteen and one-half per cent, was over $300,000. Today, under the Dominion tariff and the increased imports, the deriv¬ able revenue from imports alone, if we were still independent of Canada , would be over $2,000,000 per annum. What other commu¬ nity of 100,000 men, women and children ci mid stand such a tribute, such a despoila- tion, and yet live? Is it any wonder that in these latter times the population is decreas¬ ing, while little over two-thirds of the coun¬ try is yet cultivated? There is no other country on the earth that could stand the drain, for to no other country of equal size has the Giver of nature's bounties been so generous; all the very best of fish, flesh and fowl are to be had here in super-abundance— truly a "land of milk and honey." The fisheries yield over $1,000,000 an¬ nually. The oyster is the best in the world and is exported principally from side. Some carefully picked varieties new bring as high as ten dollars per barrel. Of late years the smelt has been taken in large quantities and are shipped to Boston, New York and other large cities of Canada and the States. Cod is taken and of late years artificial drying stations are being tried, with good promises of success. The great¬ est export of fish, however, is the lobster, which is caught and canned all round the province—in short the fishing industry is capable of immense expansion, for the in¬ land waters, as well as the outside sea coast line is exceeding great in proportion to the land area. The land is not only fertile in it¬ self, but the sea supplements its fertility by very large deposits of decomposed oysters, mussel and clam shells of great manureal value, besides the sea weeds and marsh lands. These advantages, coupled with a soil so fri¬ able that women and children dig a large por¬ tion of the potato crop with their tender fin¬ gers—the plough being only run through the rows—make farming an easy matter com¬ pared to the difficulties of the other older provinces. The soil, too, is drained nat¬ urally by reason of the porous substratum which obtains in most parts of the Island. Few stones bother the farmers; when to all these advantages we add a climate which is ideal for the production of well fla¬ vored and succulent grasses, the animal prod¬ uct, the dairy products and the vegetable products—indeed everything the Island pro¬ duces is remarkable for its high quality. This makes a demand for Island products over a very wide range. The mutton is in dcxqand in the United States and away west to Mani¬ toba. The sheep aTe largely exported to the United States alive, mostly as lambs. Poul¬ try is also being raised in quite large quand- ' ties, the same excellency of flavor making this class of farm product much sought after. England pays the highest price for Prince Edward Island stall-fed chickens and Boston the highest price for Island geese of any in the respective markets. The Island horse has made a reputation for his kind which is very good and has extended over a wide field. The demand exceeds the supply gener¬ ally, buyers coming from the far wfBt, the Xew England states and from England . The hog product of the province is a very im¬ portant item and is capable of very great ex¬ pansion. As high as 50,000 hogs have been raised in one year and 100,000 can be an¬ nually produced with profit generally. Ad¬ ventitious circumstanceshaveoperated against this industry, but the exports of this mer¬ chandise must and will increase from this on-