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notion of the greater fecundity of French Canadian women. The size of the average family is generally taken to show the average condition of the several peoples in this respect.
In 1851 the average size of the family in the Province of Canada was 6.2; in 1861, 6.2; and this was also the figure for the Quebec part of the province. In the first Dominion Census (1871) the average size of the family for all four provinces was 5.6 and for Quebec it was the same. In 1881 it was for the whole Dominion 5.3 and for Quebec 5.3. In 1891 it was for the whole Dominion 5.2 and for Quebec 5.5. In the Statistical Year Book of Canada for 1893 (page 153) it is pointed out that Prince Edward Island heads the list with 6.0 persons in the average family in 1881 and 5.8 persons in 1891, with 18 per cent of its population French, while Quebec with 20 per cent of its population other than French had for its average family 5.3 in 1881 and 5.5 in 1891.
With respect to the second disturbing factor, the French Canadian movement to the United States, there need be no trouble. In the taking of the census of the United States it was arranged between the statisticians of the two countries that the United States Census should separate the French Canadians from the English Canadians, and similarly that in the Canadian Census there should be a column headed "French Canadians."
It is thus possible to obtain statistics fairly accurate, giving the population of the French Canadians in the years 1890 and 1891.
There is thus a stretch of years from 1891 back to 1621. Professor Davidson, however, considers that it is