The Rural Voice, 1987-09, Page 92DIVERSE GREY
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Diverse" Grey: there
really is no better
adjective to describe
the variety of land uses and
scenery in this picturesque
county situated on the south
shore of Georgian Bay.
While sheep, dairy and beef cattle,
hogs, and poultry form the backbone
of the agricultural industry, the county
boasts a wide range of agriculture,
from a thriving apple industry on
Georgian Bay to fallow deer and
buffalo.
Equally varied is the natural
beauty of the county and the range
of leisure activities and sightseeing
offered to the tourists who visit the
county each year.
Grey County has made effective
and efficient use of her natural re-
sources, many of which were created
during the ice age when glacial for-
mations altered the structure of the
topography. One of the most obvious
legacies of the ice age is the Niagara
Escarpment, which stretches from
New York State to Michigan and
through a major part of Grey County.
Stretching 450 miles from Queenston
on the Niagara River to Tobermory,
the escarpment is recognized as one
of the world's natural wonders. The
ridge of rock contains some of the best
exposures of rocks and fossils —
about 500 million years old — in the
world. The Niagara Escarpment Com-
mission controls the development of
the escarpment to ensure the preserva-
tion of its beauty.
Ski resorts attract thousands of
skiers each year, and the Beaver
Valley provides some of the most
memorable scenery in the province.
Plans are underway to revitalize a
generating station at Eugenia which
provided power to much of the pro-
vince in the early 1900s. Eugenia
Falls is one of three waterfalls along
the Niagara Escarpment in Grey.
The apple industry is big business
in the county; more than 7,500 acres
Inglis Falls.
of orchards have been cultivated in a
concentrated area along Georgian Bay.
The narrow band of orchards stretches
from Meaford to Clarksburg, Thorn-
bury, and Collingwood, and is about
three miles wide in most places.
Growing apples in such a northerly
latitude would not be possible without
the environmental impact of Georgian
Bay. This large mass of water freezes
over during winter, and as ice melts
slowly in the spring, cool breezes
blowing inland delay the blossoming
of the apple trees for as long as two
weeks. But there is less likelihood of
frost when the trees do blossom. Sev-
ere frosts either kill the blooms or
cause misshapen fruit which can be
used only for juice, not for the lucra-
tive fresh fruit market.
The Niagara Escarpment also
serves as a backdrop to the orchards,
capturing the cool spring air and warm
fall air in the apple -growing region on
its rim.
For the first time in many years,
6 GREY COUNTY PLOWING MATCH EDITION