F^RKST COMMISSIONER'S REPORT. 47 



ment of the species seen. They are long and full crowned trees in 

 open situations, are nearly all crown in fact, the stem as a whole 

 being short and of quick taper. Of the whole number only twenty- 

 four are over six inches in diameter while many are extremely 

 small. The difference between even the backward pines and the 

 spruce is very great, and this is due not only to its much slower 

 rate of growth but to the fact that spruce will spring up in a dense 

 shade as pine will not Could all the pines in this acre be cut, 

 large and small would show approximately the same number of 

 rings. They started up together soon after the fire. Should the 

 spruce be examined in the same way some would be found of the 

 full age, while many would have started up later. Here then, in 

 the relative nature of thi se two species, is an indication of what 

 the future of the laud will be. should no further accident befall it. 

 The pine treated rightly may be expected to yield a large and valu- 

 able crop. But that i'( aped the steady out[)ut of the laud, so far 

 as these two specit-s are concerned- will be spruce. 



This IS an important matter worthy of further attention. Con- 

 firmation of the idea stated is received from many sources. 

 Observations made on the upoer East Branch lakes are to the point. 

 In March. 1893, I visited a camp on Kllis brook which runs into 

 Chamberlain lake from the west. The staple of the cut there was 

 large sapling pine. The trees were two feet or more through and 

 one hundred feet tall, two logs making generally a load for a team. 

 In counting the rings at the butt the trees were found to be some- 

 what over two hundred years old, and as the work proceeded there was 

 found to be close agreement in this matter. The result of the count 

 of the fifteen, which could be certainly counted, showed that all ran 

 between the limits 196 and 223 while twelve of the number ran 

 between 205 and 211. Thinking that s»ch agreement as this could 

 not be due to chance, but that probably these trees grew up 

 together, after clearing, the test was extended to the spruce on the 

 tract. The number of rings still agreeing, I was compelled to 

 believe that at some time during the Indian occupation tiiis piece 

 of ground was the scene of a clearing, a fire, or a blow down, of 

 which perhaps if closely questioned the soil might furnish indis 

 putable proof. Pine then was the main part of the present crop 

 from the land, but there was no young pine A limited number of 

 spruce had come to maturity while the young spruce standing 

 numerously among the other species furnished the promise, so far 



