FOREST commissioner's REPORT. 69 



Leaving a eonsidera])lc body of such growth to the west, 

 northerly travel led us next into mixed growth on rougher 

 land, with generally a more liberal soil. A stand here or 

 perhaps half as much spruce as was characteristic of the other 

 territoiy was made up of larger and finer trees, which also 

 were more rapid growing. Passing on, we got into the 

 northeast angle of the township, lifted up on the hips of 

 Spencer mountain and covered with a fine growth of hard 

 woods in which onl}'- scattering spruce was found. Some 

 areas were nearly devoid of it. Judging from count of trees 

 over a considerable portion of the distance travelled, it Avas 

 judged that for the northeastern square mile of this town the 

 spruce standing in this its virgin condition was about one 

 thousand feet B. M. and 300-400 cubic feet. Should the 

 saw logs ever be cut out cleanly, perhaps 150 cubic feet might 

 be left. 



Catcliinir the middle east and west line of the town in the 

 course north, and keeping run of the distance travelled by 

 pacing, when the north line was approached the course was 

 turned west and the same tactics followed. My companion 

 was an experienced explorer and lumberman whose judgment 

 was good on merchantable timber. I was training myself 

 on that by him and using besides my own methods of 

 observation on small growth. The first mile or so was, as 

 mentioned, through hard woods. Then a swamp area with 

 mixed and valueless growth was passed. Following this came 

 again the l)elt of timber, swung round from the southeast 

 where it had l)een i)assed in the morning. A quarter of a 

 mile of thick spruce on mossy land, was followed l)y a fine 

 heavy growth of mixed spruce and hard wood in about equal 

 proportions. Just a mile this was travelled, the amount of 

 spruce varying as was judged from two to five thousand 

 per acre. A strong mixture of it was everywhere present, 

 and standing as it did on smooth land sloping easily to water, 

 this was valuable timber, it is just such mixed land, land 

 with a good stand of merchantable timl)er, and yet with 

 enough hard wood to i)revent blowdown when the spruce is 



