Ontario

The building of the Temiskaming and Northern Ontario Rail way led to the discovery of the cobalt mines, from which silver to the value of $240,000,000 has been obtained ; and still farther north are the gold fields of Kirkland Lake and Porcupine, whose output gives Ontario third place in the production of gold, only South Africa and the United States surpassing it. In 1926 the value of the metals produced in Ontario reached $59,218,297, almost wholly derived from the northern mines.

Lakes and Rivers.—All parts of Ontario are well provided with lakes and rivers, the most important chain being that of the St. Lawrence and the Great Lakes with their tributaries, which drain the more populous southern districts, and, with the aid of canals, furnish communication by fairly large vessels between the lower St. Lawrence river and Lake Superior. Lake Nipigon, a beautiful body of water 852 ft. above the sea, 7o m. long and 5o m. wide, may be looked upon as the headwaters of the St. Lawrence, since Nipigon river is the largest tributary of Lake Superior, though several other important rivers, such as the Kaministiquia, the Pic and the Michipicoten, enter it from the north. All these rivers have high falls not far from Lake Superior, and several of them supply power for industries of the region. The twin cities of Fort William and Port Arthur are the great shipping ports for western wheat during the summer. The north shore of Lake Superior is bold and rugged with many islands, such as Ignace and Michipicoten, but with very few settlements, except fishing stations, owing to its rocky character. At the south-eastern end St. Mary's river carries its waters to Lake Huron, with a fall from 602 to 581 ft., most of which takes place at Sault Sainte Marie, where locks permit vessels of io,000 tons to pass from one lake to the other, and where water-power has been greatly developed for use in the rolling mills and wood pulp industry. The north-east shores of Lake Huron and its large expansion Georgian Bay are fringed with thousands of islands, mostly small, but one of them, Manitoulin Island, is 8o m. long and 3o m. broad. French river, the outlet of Lake Nipissing, and Severn river, draining Lake Simcoe, come into Georgian Bay from the east, and the Trent canal connects Lake Huron with Lake Ontario.

Georgian Bay is cut off from the main lake by Manitoulin Island and the long promontory of Bruce Peninsula. Lakes Superior and Huron both reach depths hundreds of feet below sea level, but the next lake in the series, St. Clair, towards which Lake Huron drains southward through St. Clair river, is very shallow and marshy. Detroit river connects Lake St. Clair with Lake Erie at an elevation of 57o ft.; and this comparatively shallow lake, running for 24o m. east and west, empties north wards by Niagara river into Lake Ontario, which is only 246 ft.

above the sea. Niagara Falls, with rapids above and below, carry the waters of the upper lakes over the Niagara escarpment. Power from the falls supplies the needs of a region within 150 m. Welland canal, between Port Colborne on Lake Erie and Dalhousie on Lake Ontario, carries vessels of 14 ft. draught from one lake to the other. A new canal with a depth of 27 ft. is nearly finished. From Lake Ontario the St. Lawrence emerges through the meshes of the Thousand Islands, where it crosses Archaean rocks, after which follow several rapids separated by quieter stretches before Montreal is reached at the head of ocean navigation. Steamers not of too great draught can run the rapids going down, but must come up through the canals. All the other rivers in southern Ontario are tributaries of the lakes or of the St. Lawrence, the Ottawa, navigable in many parts, being the largest, and the Trent next in importance. In northern Ontario lakes are innumerable and often very picturesque, forming favourite summer resorts, such as Lake Temagami, the Muskoka Lakes and Lake-of-the Woods. The latter lake, Rainy Lake and other connected bodies of water belong to the Hudson Bay system of waters, their outlet being by Winnipeg river to Lake Winnipeg, from which flows Nelson river. In Ontario the Albany, Moose, Missanabi and Abitibi flow into Hudson Bay, but none of these rivers is navigable except for canoes.

Climate.

The climate of Ontario varies greatly, as might be expected from its wide range in latitude and the relationships of the Great Lakes to the southern peninsula of the province. The northern parts as far south as the north shore of Lake Superior have long and cold but bright winters, sometimes with tempera tures reaching 5o° F below zero; while their summers are de lightful, with much sunshine and some hot days but pleasantly cool nights. Between Georgian Bay and Ottawa the winters are less cold, but usually with a pk.ntiful snowfall ; while the summers are warm. The south-west peninsula of Ontario has its climate greatly modified by the lakes which almost enclose it. As they never freeze, the prevalent cold north-west winds of North America are warmed in their passage over them, and often much of the winter precipitation is in the form of rain, so that the weather has much less certainty than in the north. The summers are often sultry, though the presence of the lakes prevents the intense heat experienced in the states to the west and south. Owing to the mildness of its winters, the south-west peninsula is a famous fruit country with many vineyards and orchards of apples, plums and peaches. Indian corn (maize) is an important field crop, and tobacco is cultivated on a large scale. Small fruits and tomatoes are widely grown for the city markets and for can ning, giving rise to an important industry.