Physical Atlas with Coloured Maps

Jesse Beaufort Hurlbert was born in Canada to Loyalist parents. He became Professor of Natural Science at Victoria College in Toronto in 1841 (Neill 82). The long title of this book is Physical Atlas with Coloured Maps Showing the Geographical Distribution of Plants Yielding Food; Climates; Flora; Soils; Regions of Summer Rains; Geological Formations and Hydrography of the Dominion of Canada. Published in 1880, Hurlbert’s work opened with a preface expressing his frustration with misconceptions about Canada’s climate and fecundity. The Right Honourable W.E. Gladstone, he notes, called Canada, “Those huge ice-bound deserts of North America.” Other reports emphasized swamps, insects, and flooding. Hurlbert aimed to debunk these myths by showing “that the climates and productions of the Dominion are similar to those of the western central and north-western parts of Europe.” A fierce supporter of the young country, he argues that “the phrase ‘fertile belt’ is no more appropriate to any part of North America than it would be to Europe. It conveys an erroneous impression, giving the idea that there is only a narrow belt fit for agricultural purposes in comparison with the vast areas north of the 49th parallel.” Hurlbert’s maps may be optimistic (few farmers in northern Alberta grow maize and grapes, for example), but they reflect a Canadian’s early attempt to raise his country’s profile through food.