239. Trade and trade routes. — The people of Canada have had to work hard to get the butter trade. Their government sent men to England to find out just what kind of cheese and butter the people of England wanted. After these travelers returned to Canada, dairy schools were set up to teach people how to make good butter and cheese. After. that, if the food was good and honestly packed, the government inspector put his stamp on the packages. This stamp is really a message to the buyer, which says: "This is a good article —you may depend upon it". In this way the buyer in England knows what he is getting, and Canadian products sell well.
In the winter time much Canadian produce is shipped from Boston and from Portland, Maine, because the St. Law rence River freezes over, and steamers can not then go up to Quebec and Montreal as they do in the summer. But in the summertime much American produce goes down the great river St. Lawrence through the ports of Montreal and Quebec. That is the way neighboring peoples should work together. So long as the Canadians and the Americans treat each other fairly, they will keep on living at peace with each other. Much of Canada's trade is with its nearest neighbor, the United States. It is carried by many railroads, as well as by steamers on the Atlantic, the Pacific, and the Great Lakes. Most of the wheat of west Canada goes down the Great Lakes and is sent to England.
240. Fisheries. — You remember that many salmon are caught and canned on the Pacific Coast. (Sec. 137.) On the Atlantic Coast, many cod fishing boats sail from Halifax and Yarmouth, just as they do from Gloucester, Massachusetts, or St. John's, Newfoundland. (Sec. 216.) 241. Government and Canada is called an English possession. An Eng lish governor is sent out from England to Ottawa, the capital, but the Canadians really govern themselves by their own parliament and ministers. They have nine provinces, very much like our states, and two territories. One of these territories,
Yukon, joins our territory of Alaska, and, like it, has some gold mines but very few people. Canada's three leading seaports are Halifax, St. John's, and Vancouver. Montreal and Quebec are summer ports and both are fine cities. In Quebec most of the people still speak French. (Sec. 48.) Winnipeg is the wheat market of western Canada.
242. Newfoundland and Labrador.— Newfoundland and Labrador are a part of British America. We read about the people of these lands in our story about the Cod Fishermen. Most of their food comes from Canada, but Canada has no more to do with their government than we have. They have a governor of their own, sent out from England. Newfoundland is about as large as Maine and New Hampshire put together; but even with Labrador thrown in, the province has no more people than the city of Providence, Rhode Island. You remember that (Sec. 12) the climate is too cold for farming. Therefore the people sell fish, fish, fish, as well as paper made of wood pulp, and iron ore that they dig on a small island close to St. John's, the capital.
243. Danish America.—Greenland and Iceland are two islands northeast of North America. Both were ruled by Denmark for centuries, but Iceland is now inde pendent. We learned of Greenland when we were studying about the Es kimo. Iceland is very different from Greenland. Warm ocean currents from the south flow along the shore of Iceland, but do not touch Greenland. Therefore Iceland is warmer than Greenland. There is enough grass to allow the people to keep sheep and cows, so that the Icelanders get their living by selling cattle and wool, as well as fish. The people are very well educated, and read many books. One often sees Iceland girls and boys reading books as they ride their ponies to market, carrying two cans of milk, one on each side of the pony.