REPORT OF THE DIRECTOR 67 



SESSIONAL PAPER No. 16 



southward in a very irregular undulating manner until it almost reached the level of 

 the ocean. Before us lay the Superintendent's house, painted white, with an acre or 

 two of timothy and clover in front of it which was as green as a pasture field on the 

 main land. Beyond the house lay the large inland lake of salt water which occupies 

 so large a part of the interior of the island. Beyond that was the south bar built up 

 of varying heights by the shifting sand, and outside this the ever rolling breakers of 

 the turbulent ocean. 



UNPACKING AND HEELING IN THE TREES. 



We were soon comfortably lodged with the Superintendent's hospitable family, 

 where we were to spend a busy week, and the remainder of the afternoon and evening 

 was spent in looking over the ground to find a suitable location where we could unpack 

 and heel in our precious cargo of trees. In the meantime the Superintendent had 

 manned another surfboat, and by dint of much hard rowing our 18 large cases of trees, 

 together with the stores brought for the island were all landed on the beach before 

 night fall. The side of the sand gorge on the way up from the boat-house was chosen 

 as a suitable and convenient place for the heeling in of the trees, and early next morn- 

 ing two sturdy yoke of oxen were engaged in hauling the ponderous boxes from the 

 sea shore to this spot. By 7 a.m. all available hands were at work at the trees, some 

 opening and unpacking the cases, others digging trenches in the moist sand in which 

 the young trees were placed and the roots well covered. By the time evening came 16 

 of the 18 boxes were unpacked, and the remaining two were finished on Saturday morn- 

 ing. The young trees came out in very good condition. They had been six weeks 

 packed, a little mould was occasionally found on some of the roots and stems and a few 

 of the evergreens were partly decayed, but the injured specimens formed a very small 

 proportion of the shipment. The trees had been skilfully packed so as to admit air to 

 all parts of the interior, and the great bulk of the material was quite green and fresh 

 looking. The early part of Friday was fine and bright, but cool, later in the day there 

 was a little rain and towards evening it was quite windy. 



STARTING THE FIRST PLANTATION. 



On Saturday the 18th, after finishing the unpacking of the two remaining cases 

 of trees and the boxes of fruit bushes, &c, which were brought from Ottawa, the first 

 plantation of trees on the island was started on the upper part of a sandy bluff near 

 the north shore, and north-east of the look-out station. This was fairly well covered 

 with the sand binding grass Ammophila arenaria, and was partly protected by a ridge 

 all around, leaving the part chosen for planting in the form of a shallow basin. In 

 this plantation the trees were put from 2£ to 3 feet apart each way among the grass 

 without any preparation of the land. The planting was begun just under the ridge on 

 the south side, and was done as follows : — A spade was pressed down to its full depth in 

 the sand, and pressed backwards and forwards several times until an opening had been 

 made, when the spade was withdrawn and the young tree inserted so as to have its 

 roots well underground when the sand was pressed against the tree firmly with the foot. 

 In planting two men worked together, one tised the spade and the other inserted the 

 trees and pressed the sand firmly about the roots with his foot. Before the day closed 

 a large number had been thus planted. The soil at this point seemed to consist wholly 

 of pure sand, no humus could be detected in it. 



CHURCH SERVICE ON SUNDAY. 



On Sunday morning a church service was conducted by the Superintendent of the 

 island, Mr. Boutellier, who read the service of the Anglican Church and a short sermon 

 16— 54 



