i9o8 NEWS AND NOTES 131 



first term. The lessee pays twenty-five tection necessary to ensure their con- 

 cents a year until he is ready to cut tinuance. Greater exertions should 

 the timber, when he pays a royalty of be made, not only to protect the tim- 

 fifty cents per 1,000 feet, board meas- ber limits of the country, but also to 

 ure, for the timber removed. The in- replenish the rapidly disappearing 

 come of the province from leases was timber." 

 about $1,275,000 last year. 



British Columbia is the latest of the p°'^^^*. The people of Ireland 

 great soft-wood timber regions to be in^irSand P^^ $5,000,000 a year 

 invaded by lumbermen. The Puget _ for the timber which is 

 Sound region is still at top notch ; but imported from other countries. This 

 holdings are hard to get, and buyers is the penalty of failure to protect its 

 and speculators have crossed into forests. Ireland has only i^ per cent 

 British Columbia. While there are of its land in timber and much of that 

 many rich stands of timber in the small area is covered with scrub 

 province, it is doubtful if the forest growth of little value. At the same 

 woods furnish a cut of more than 100,- time 23 per cent of the island is uncul- 

 000,000,000 to 150,000,000.000 feet of tivated. Few inhabited countries have 

 lumber — less than this country uses been so extensively deforested, 

 in eighteen months. The work of changing conditions 

 A recent issue of this magazine re- ^or the better has been entered upon, 

 ported the new forest laws of Colom- however, and scientific forestry will be 

 bia in South America. That country's applied. Consul General Alfred Al- 

 northern namesake is not to be out- f^ed K. Moe, of Dublin, reports the 

 done in gripping the treasure while it progress that has been made looking 

 is in hand. to the preservation of the few remain- 

 British Columbia does not permit ^"^ ^^''^^^s and the reforestation of 

 the export of logs cut on provincial X^^^. ^7^^- ^^^ Irish Department of 

 land. They must be sawed by mills in Agriculture maintains a forest school 

 the province, which evidently intends ^^ Avondale, which will have charge 

 not only to take care of its timber, but °^ ^"^ ^^^^ planting, 

 to make the most out of it. An ex- A special study has been made of 

 port duty has been seriously consid- Lord Fitzwilliam's estate which was 

 ered by the Dominion Government for planted to timber fifty years ago. A 

 all the provinces of Canada. It is ap- popular objection to reforestation in 

 parent that British Columbia will not Ireland has been that forest planta- 

 be slow to take any advantage which tions offer less employment to labor 

 the further diminishing of the timber than equal areas of agricultural land, 

 supply of the United States may af- It was shown, however, that Lord 

 ford her in the lumber trade. Fitzwilliam's forest, although planted 



on poor soil not valuable for agricul- 

 „ ,. ^ In the annual report of Jure, had employed four times as much 

 Fo?esTrv Molson's Bank, mention 1^^?^ f has been employed upon the 

 i-uicoiiy .^ made of the forest agricultural land, and was more pro- 

 situation as a factor in the business Stable to^the owner. Within the past 

 equation in Canada. Molson's Bank year timber to the value of $50,000 

 is one of those which, according to ^^^ ?^«" ^^^^ ^^T the plantation, and 

 the Canadian custom, has many much remains to be cut. 

 branches, fifty or sixty, scattered 



throughout the Dominion. At the Siberian Tim- An Australian corpora- 

 annual meeting the president of the ^^^ ^^P^^ tion has just received a 

 bank said : "Our forests, which have ' concession from the 

 done so much to enrich the country Russian Government to take out 30,- 

 in the past, are not receiving the pro- 000,000 feet of timber a year from a 



