Barren land on Lot 9.

Black spruce land.

Cedar swamps.

Black spruce swamp.

Wet and dry barrens.

Tree/ess barren and black spruce barren.

Timber cut.

’Plain barren ’ with blueberries.

’Spruce barren ’.

Putting a value on land.

Robert T. Holton, Lot .9 [he is 'Robert T. Oulton’ in Meacham’s Atlas] :

From the back of my farm to the division line of Lot 10 is barren, and part of it is low spruce. The barren does not grow anything but scrubby black spruce, and in places not even that. It would not be of any value to me for agriculture. My opinion is that the part that is barren, or with only black spruce upon it is worthless for any purpose. I should think there are some thousand acres of barren and black spruce land. I know that the end of the lot to the south-east is barren to the line of Lot 10. Up near the head of the river [i.e. the Brae River] there are some parts that have been lumbered over, between my farms and this part is barren. There is lumber on some parts not yet taken. l have hauled from Lot 6 across the Lot and across the barrens. I judged that we hauled through the burnt barrens. They are just like the barrens to the rear of my farms. They are worthless. The land to the rear of the farms on the centre line road is swamps. The farms along the road are nice hard wood. About 20 chains from the road they run into cedar swamps. I would not value the swamp land at very much. Next to the hard wood is the cedar swamp, and then a black spruce swamp. This is valueless; where the cedar is on it is worth 40 or 50 cents an acre. There is a strip back between the burnt barren and the line of Lot 6 that is vacant and is good land. I have heard that there are 600 or 700 acres there. There is a great deal of swamp on the farms between the Centre Line Road and the shore. A great deal of low spruce land. Cross-examined: In the part that I know of, where there was cedar and juniper, it had been taken off. The kind of swamps that are there are not valuable. They are flooded, and wet, and covered with deep moss. Most of the barrens that I know of are wet, but there are parts burnt off, and with blue berries upon them that are dry. That dry barren is, in my opinion, incapable of cultivation. I cannot say that I ever heard of blue berry barrens producing good crops. In my opinion blue berry barrens are not fit to be cultivated. There are large portions of unoccupied land covered with wood. I have lumbered upon it. This is the spruce ridge that I spoke of. Part of the barrens were never covered with wood, and part had been covered with black spruce, and it is burnt off, and the stumps are there. I think that the burnt part is not capable of cultivation. I am not prepared to say whether black spruce swamps or barrens are generally cultivated through the Island or not. [pp. 99-100]

Felix McKinnon, Lot 9 :

The division line of Lot 10 [i.e. with Lot 9]: I call it poor land there. The greater part is barren land. I would say it runs about five miles along the line of Lot 10. Part of it is not worth anything now that the timber is off. The wood had been cut off. Lumbermen have been on it from my first recollection. There is but very little lumber on it now. Part of it is a plain barren where nothing ever grew, I believe, except blue berries. The fronts of the farms on the Centre Line Road to the shore are mostly spruce. It is not valuable land for farming. I have been through the part that was disputed. Some of it is good soil, and some is plain spruce barren, which I have said is no good. [Near] Duncan McPhee’s farm the bad is mostly swamp. It was worth considerable at one time for the cedar. It has been taken off, and there is not any quantity of cedar on the vacant land now. [p. 101]

John McKa/ler, Lot 9 :

There is a good deal of vacant land, not more than 4000 or 5000 acres are settled. There are not above 2000 acres of good hardwood land which is not settled. Most of the good land is on the west, adjoining Lot 6. I dare say the good hardwood land is worth 80 cents an acre. Some of the settled land is not good, and is not worth over 20 cents an acre. There are about 3000 acres not worth over 20 cents. Some has not wood enough on it to make fences. On some you could get poles and scantling. I consider the barren land worth nothing at all. The spruce land is worth 20 cents. There are about 3000 acres of barren land worth nothing . There is a piece of good land adjoining Lot 6. Back half a mile, it is barren. There are over 1000 acres barren there. The other barren is down to the south, towards the east end of the Lot toward Lot 10. There is not less than 2000 acres of barren land there.

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