ms of
the rail-fences.

When limestone-flag is near the surface, the stems of the trees will be
shorter, their heads more bushy, and the roots spreading along the top
of the ground. Such land is apt to burn in hot weather, and soon
becomes exhausted. White pine, or hemlock ridges, are almost always
sandy, and good for little--except the timber, which is valuable, if
near enough to water. White-pine, mixed with hard-wood, generally
indicates strong clay land, good for wheat; but the difficulty of
clearing off such heavy timber, and the long time it takes to get rid
of the stumps, render such a selection unprofitable, and add additional
toil to the emigrant.

The best land for wheat should be gently undulating soil, rich loam, on
a clay bottom. In the summer months you can judge the quality of the
land by the freshly turned-up roots of trees, which have fallen by the
wind.

In winter, when the surface of the ground is covered with snow, and
frozen hard, the growth and quality of the timber, as before described,
are your only mode of judging correctly.

A constant supply of water is absolutely necessary, in a country liable
to such extreme heat in summer. Canada West, abounding, as it does, in
small spring-creeks, rivers, and lakes, is, perhaps, as well watered as
any country in the world; and, in almost every section of the country,
even on the highest ridges, good water can be obtained by digging
wells, which seldom require to be sunk more than twenty feet; and in
many townships, not half that depth is required.

After the emigrant has selected a proper location, his next object is
to choose the best situation to build his shanty, and chop his first
fallow. Most settlers like to commence as near as possible to the
concession-line or public road; but sometimes the vicinity of a stream
of water or good spring is preferred. In fact, circumstances must, in
some measure, guide them in their choice.

The best time of the year to commence operations is early in September.
The weather is then moderately warm and pleasant, and there are no
flies in the Bush to annoy you.

A log shanty, twenty-four feet long by sixteen, is large enough to
begin with, and should be roofed either with shingles or troughs. A
small cellar should be dug near the fire-place, commodious enough to
hold twenty or thirty bushels of potatoes, a barrel or two of pork, &c.

As soon as your shanty is completed, measure off as many acres as you
intend