Lac La Biche - History - Agriculture and Food

Agriculture | Fishing | Gardening & Greenhouse

GARDENING & GREENHOUSE

Notre-Dame des Victories

The Mission had several gardens on site. Many were used for growing vegetables, but Bishop Faraud had his own gardens where he grew medicinal herbs, flowers, and tobacco.

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Very soon after arriving at the new Mission site in 1855, Fathers Tissot and Maisonneuve made great efforts to make the mission self-sufficient. This proved a very difficult task in the early years as the priests lacked most tools and a sufficient number of draught animals. In the spring of 1856, both Tissot and Maisonneuve were hard at work trying to clear a small field for a garden. This involved felling trees, uprooting stumps, and breaking the ground with few implements other than an axe and a hoe. Despite these problems they did manage to clear a few acres and plant barley, kohlrabi and potatoes. The garden was probably located near the few building on the site. In 1861 the garden yielded 360 bushels of potatoes from the 18 bushels planted. In 1864 a yield of 200 bushels of potatoes, 20 bushels of barley and 4 bushels of peas was reported on inventory.

When Father Faroud came, (in 1869) he was a very active gardener; he did this as a hobby to try to get some sunshine and fresh air. As he did every year he began planting the seed indoors. He planted flowers, particularly Stock, and "everlastings", tobacco, and leeks. The tobacco shoots were covered with straw to keep them from freezing and when replanted outdoors surrounded by ashes to keep the bugs from "chewing his tobacco." The tobacco turned out well and he made cigars and twists of tobacco during the fall. Later he forged a special knife for cutting the cured tobacco. He was very proud of his tobacco as visitors remarked on the quality of it. He had some innovative ideas, one of which was the terraces he had built over the lake, "in imitation of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon", where he planted radishes and lettuce. The ample access to water made for tender vegetables all summer long. He also built a small privillion (a gazebo), "a green room for growing hops" which the sisters used as a leavening agent.

The sisters often complained about having to do the ardous tasks, such as harvesting with a sickle, and their journal makes it seen like they did all the work with the help of the school girls. However it is likely that there was a division of labour according to the need. As well as the hard work, they had to contend with early winters. In 1877 the ground was frozen by October and covered by snow and the potatoes were not yet gathered. Never had September and October months been so difficult as this. There was a constant fear that the potatoes would all be frozen into the ground. They finished gathering by the tenth, but the potatoes were wet and muddy and many had frozen. They were put in the root cellar, but they all had to be taken out again, to be sorted and dried, one by one. It was the fifth of November before the job was done. Although it had been an early winter, it turned out to be a mild one.

It is noted that flowers were important for decorating the altar as well as for other decoration. November 30 was the anniversary of Faraud's consecration as a bishop and a celebration was planned for him. Faraud was presented with a bishop's velvet skullcap and a magnificent giroflee (cloves) all in bloom which he had admired in the sisters' garden as well as six bouquets of "everlastings" from his own garden.

One winter was so mild that the old chapel was decorated in flowers for New Years’ Day, unfortunately the day of celebration arrived with some cold weather and all but the rosebushes froze.

In spite of the hard work, lack of equipment and work animals, the early winters, late springs, bugs and worms, the garden was always planted and it provided enough for the mission people more. Even at the present time, (2002) on the mission grounds Mr. E.O Kudslien, member of the Heritage Society plants a garden every spring.