FOREST commissioner's REPORT. 115 



step in the rifjht direction, seems not to go far enough. Not 

 enouiih is left to make the succeeding growth of much 

 account. In a good growth of virgin timber the trees between 

 ten inches in diameter four feet up and the snisillcst size that 

 would anywhere be cut arc not many in number or large in 

 volume. Little is sacriticed and little gained by leaving them 

 standini:. If a man really means to cut for future growth, he 

 should, in virgin land at least, leave more on the ground. 



This was the view taken oft-hand. At the time, as was said, 

 it was only stated tentatively and for consideration. The 

 point was held in mind throughout my exploration, and it will 

 be again referred to in the detailed discussion further on. 



As to the results of the scheme in practice, jj„^ j^ 

 however, I could not see that it had yet made ^'^^'i"- 

 any difference in the way the land was cut. This was due 

 notso much to defects in the plan as to the men who had to 

 carry it out. The old habit of cutting everything they came 

 to, leaving only such trees as were off by themselves and 

 therefore required extra eff"ort to get, was too strong to be 

 overcome in a 3'ear. The men didn't appreciate the pur- 

 pose of the regulation, and unless constantly reminded, would 

 pay it no attention. The man in charge of one camp, I found, 

 didn't remember how his contract read on that point, — ten or 

 twelve inches at the stump, he wasn't sure which, was the 

 limit set. Certainly that man was not efficiently carrying out a 

 well planned forest policy. Among the sawyers, there was a 

 corresponding indetiniteness and laxity. No noticeable effect 

 on the cut could indeed be seen. When timber that this far 

 from the mill could be considered merchantable had been left, 

 it seemed to be left because it was hard to get at. 



The same thing was true in the work of the company's own 

 men. In my note book I find record of one spot where at 

 the end of a twitch road four stumps, 12, 11, 11, and 10 

 inches in diameter were found. Twenty feet down the road 

 was another thirteen inches in diameter and two more below 

 about the same distance apart. These seven trees were what 

 the road was cut for. At the end of it was the little l)unch 



