Dessin: Champlain. Source: Bibliothèque et Archives Canada. Crédit: George Agnew Reid Fonds George Agnew Reid, C-011016
In 1604, Champlain witnessed the first horticultural trials on l’Île Sainte-Croix. Following this, he made a small garden at Port-Royal and built a small lock there to keep trout. He was not the first explorer to get his hands into the dirt. Jacques Cartier did the same before him. At Port-Royal, agriculture seemed to do rather well. During the early years, they grew a variety of vegetables, legumes, herbs, fruit and grain there. They even saw fit to build a flour mill there in 1606.
When Champlain founded Quebec, he wasted no time clearing the land near the settlement. Starting in October 1608, he tried to sow wheat and rye brought over from France in order to determine if the seeds would grow in the spring. He also planted French fruit trees and vines. A few years later, Champlain described the beauty of the peas, corn, beans, pumpkins, gourds, cabbages, leeks and herbs harvested at Quebec. He took some Quebec-grown wheat to France to demonstrate the fertility of the land.
Horticultural tests were also conducted in the loam of Montreal. Champlain built two small gardens there, one on the plain and the other in the forest. Seeds sowed in June grew well.
The climate was another reality observed by Champlain. He noted the dates of the first freeze and when the leaves fell. In May 1620, he described the arrival of spring, noting the dates on which leaves and flowers appeared and the time when certain plants were ready for harvesting. This information was useful for farmers who had to deal with a climate that was quite different than that of France and, thus, had to adjust their calendars.
At the time of the first settlers in Quebec, the development of agriculture was a necessity. They had to adapt their growing methods to this new environment quickly, while learning how to make the most of the new species discovered.
This is the last of the chronicles on the first great colonizer of Canada, Samuel de Champlain. We invite you to come back on April 1, 2008 for a new series of chronicles.
Sources
LITALIEN, Raymonde and Denis Vaugeois (dir). Champlain: la naissance de l'Amérique française. [Paris], Nouveau Monde éditions; Sillery, Septentrion, 2004, 397 pages.
MONTEL-GLÉNISSON, Caroline. Champlain: la découverte du Canada. [Paris]: Nouveau Monde éditions, 2004, 188 pages.
TRUDEL, Marcel. “Samuel de Champlain”, Dictionnaire biographique du Canada, tome 1, [Québec], Presses de l’Université Laval, 1966, pages 192 to 204.
Back
| Île Sainte-Croix On this island (now called Île Dochet), Champlain and Dugua de Monts established a first settlement and spent the winter of 1604-1605 there. Champlain’s travel account relates the horticultural tests conducted at this site: “We made a few gardens, both on the main body of land and on the island, where we sowed several types of seeds which did very well on the island, particularly since the soil was very sandy and everything burned when the sun was high, even though we took great pains to water it all.” (translation) Close this window |
When Champlain founded Quebec, he wasted no time clearing the land near the settlement. Starting in October 1608, he tried to sow wheat and rye brought over from France in order to determine if the seeds would grow in the spring. He also planted French fruit trees and vines. A few years later, Champlain described the beauty of the peas, corn, beans, pumpkins, gourds, cabbages, leeks and herbs harvested at Quebec. He took some Quebec-grown wheat to France to demonstrate the fertility of the land.
| Sowing in the fall This practice was possible in France where certain seeds withstood the winter. Close this window |
| Champlain’s vines The specimens Champlain planted initially withstood the climate but then declined. Close this window |
| Peas For the colonists in Quebec, growing peas was of great interest since the pea is an easy plant to grow. This nourishing vegetable often enabled them to survive the last months of winter, before supplies arrived. The Native People also adopted this vegetable and were so fond of it that the colonists were able to use the peas they grew for barter. Close this window |
Horticultural tests were also conducted in the loam of Montreal. Champlain built two small gardens there, one on the plain and the other in the forest. Seeds sowed in June grew well.
| Loam Loam contains a high percentage of clay. Close this window |
The climate was another reality observed by Champlain. He noted the dates of the first freeze and when the leaves fell. In May 1620, he described the arrival of spring, noting the dates on which leaves and flowers appeared and the time when certain plants were ready for harvesting. This information was useful for farmers who had to deal with a climate that was quite different than that of France and, thus, had to adjust their calendars.
| Champlain’s flowering spring Here is a translation of an except from a travel account in which Champlain notes the rebirth of the vegetation: On the eighth of the month, the buds on the cherry trees started to open, pushing the leaves out. At the same time, small flowers started to poke out of the soil, flax colored and white, which are first to appear in the spring in this place. On the ninth, the raspberries started to bud and all of the herbs started to poke out of the dirt. On the tenth, the elders displayed its leaves. On the 12th, white violets started to bloom. On the 15th, the trees were covered with buds and the cherry trees had all their leaves. The raspberries opened their leaves; the chervil was ready to cut; in the woods the common sorrel was two inches tall. On the 18th, the birch opened their leaves, with the other trees following close behind. The oak is covered with buds. The apple trees from France that we transplanted here, as well as the plum trees, were also covered with buds. The leaves on the cherry trees were large and the vines covered with buds and flowers; the common sorrel was ready to be cut. Close this window |
At the time of the first settlers in Quebec, the development of agriculture was a necessity. They had to adapt their growing methods to this new environment quickly, while learning how to make the most of the new species discovered.
This is the last of the chronicles on the first great colonizer of Canada, Samuel de Champlain. We invite you to come back on April 1, 2008 for a new series of chronicles.
Sources
LITALIEN, Raymonde and Denis Vaugeois (dir). Champlain: la naissance de l'Amérique française. [Paris], Nouveau Monde éditions; Sillery, Septentrion, 2004, 397 pages.
MONTEL-GLÉNISSON, Caroline. Champlain: la découverte du Canada. [Paris]: Nouveau Monde éditions, 2004, 188 pages.
TRUDEL, Marcel. “Samuel de Champlain”, Dictionnaire biographique du Canada, tome 1, [Québec], Presses de l’Université Laval, 1966, pages 192 to 204.
Back