The chief industry of Labrador is its cod fishery. Cod in enormous quantities and of the fattest and firmest kind for eating are taken all along its coast, between May and October. The inshore fishery is open to English, Canadian, New foundland and American fisheries, and as many as 30,00o people have engaged in the industry in the season. Now some r o,000 only prosecute it, because while other food products have been increasingly better preserved for human use, cod is still treated by salt mainly. The fishery is bound to come to its own again for no better, more easily digested, cheaper proteid food supply is obtainable anywhere in the world. It is mostly taken in large nets called traps, occasionally in seines and gill nets or on lance. The best bait is capelin, a fish like a sardine, which abound on the sandy beaches. Squid is also used. Bankers using long lines, or trawls, have increased in numbers in late years. Leaden jiggers are much used to replace bait on hand lines. The main markets are the Mediterranean, the West Indies and Brazil. Sal mon, fat, pink, and the best possible for eating, are now obtainable fresh in European markets and America. The Hud son Bay company, by a new process of rapid chilling, has in creased its value i00% to the catcher, and i,000% to the eater. Unrestricted netting of rivers has greatly decreased the quantity of salmon since 1780, when endless quantities ran up the rivers, as they do still in Kamchatka. Salmon are mostly taken by gill nets in the sea. Labrador herring, the largest and fattest in the world, are seriously diminished, though it is possible they only have failed to visit their old haunts during their migrations, for they have never been pursued like the European herring, and the latter have been able to maintain their numbers. Mackerel have almost entirely left Labrador. Whales afford the next fishery in value, and great numbers frequent the coast from Battle Harbour north. Norwegians manage this industry, and appear to be able to make money, though a factory must average over a whale a day to make it pay. Sharks are numerous, of the sleepy variety however, and are no danger except to nets. The Polar current sweeps the whole coast with water seldom as warm as 45° F on the surface, and getting colder as it goes down. It is warmer in the heads of bays, and in the long fjords, but the deep water, so characteristic of all Labrador inlets, allows the bottom waters to warm but very little during the summer season.
The flora of Labrador is naturally subarctic, but it also is singularly profuse. Thus the land is far from being bar ren and uncovered as the face of the cliffs and hillsides standing out into the Polar current might have suggested. On the con trary, all valleys and low hillsides are entirely covered by dense woods of tapering conifers, birches and poplars. There are no pines, and all timber ranks as spruce. Owing to the scarcity of actual earth, the winter storms leave many windfalls, and travel ling through the woods is difficult unless a trail has been cut. In numerable berry bearing plants cover the surface of both main land and islands right down to the landwash, while exquisite lichens and mosses, growing over the cliff faces themselves. often give the appearance of elaborate carpet gardens. Great showy beds of red azalias, blue gentians, white orchids and bunch berries, lend a wonderful setting to the scenery, the colours, like those of the Alpine flora, generally being exceedingly brilliant.
Dr. M. L. Fernald of the Gray Herbarium of Harvard college has published some most interesting monographs on botanizing along the north Newfoundland coast. His deductions have been accepted both by geologists and botanists. In these much in formation can be obtained relative to plant life in the North. Dr. E. B. Delabarre, of Brown university, published a long list of Labrador flora in a book entitled Labrador and Its People—a symposium by the writer and others, in which other branches of natural history are also described by experts. The story of the ages as told by the rocks is well seconded by these studies in plant distribution and most compelling suggestions as to the true history of geologic times on this north-east portion of the Ameri can continent are made by Dr. Fernald's researches. But so far as the actual botany of Labrador itself is concerned it has hardly yet been touched at all. Dr. A. P. Coleman of Ottawa, Canada, has published valuable reports on northern Labrador natural history, through the Canadian Government at Ottawa.
The poor survey of the coastline, the absence of artificial aids to navigation and the difficulty of travelling by land where no railways and no roads exist, make travel difficult, and yet there is no question that Labrador could be made an invaluable holi day camp for North America in summer, exactly as Florida is its winter playground. The mosquito, blackfly and sandfly are very numerous, and without protection would make existence intoler able for two months in summer. But simple remedies and pre cautions can be taken, and so far sportsmen once coming to the country, invariably return. The mosquitoes carry no malaria, and no endemic diseases are known to exist in the whole country. There is no great rise and fall of tide, and by the eastern Labra dor sea-board it nowhere exceeds 8 f t. in spring tides, and so navigation in small boats is easy and safe. Most of the coast being sheltered by innumerable islands enables small open boats to get easily from place to place. To facilitate sportsmen visiting the rivers, a sportsmen's exchange has been formed in Montreal, of which Dr. George Fisk, 1506 Drummond street, is now secre tary, where information about when, where, and how to go for sport can be obtained. The bureau expects to maintain simple club houses on the principal rivers for visitors. As no salmon rivers are leased a $10 licence per rod paid to the Newfoundland Government opens all rivers to fishermen for one year. Laws against netting rivers are sufficient, and are easily enforced, poaching being very rare. Access to Labrador has been chiefly by fortnightly boats from St. John's along the east coast of New foundland, and the same along the north shore and west coast by steamers connecting with the railway at Bay of Islands, whence connections with Canada at Sydney, Cape Breton, are made every second day. Experience has shown that far the best way for sportsmen in Labrador is to use power boats of 35 to 7o ft. long, of shallow draught—so that every fjord, even unexplored ones, becomes accessible, and no time is wasted waiting for mail steamers. Such boats can be built on the coast, and left there in care of one of the local stations throughout the winter. A fine service of steamers from Quebec, called the "North Shore coastal boats" is an excellent way to reach Labrador.