GQ FOREST COMMISSIOXER's REPORT. 



matter what the rate, his income is of little amount. Hard 

 cutting of one species indeed might be so continued as 

 almost to blot it out of the country. 



The Moose river finally is a highly favored timber country^ 

 the most valuable for its area that there is on the Kennebec. 

 Its economical treatment, the careful use of its natural resour- 

 ces, its protection from fire, and the utilization of its capacity 

 for growth are matters which not only concern its legal 

 owners, but are of moment to the people of the State. 



ROACH RIVER BASIN. 



The Roach river which runs into Moosehead from the east, 

 drains the greater part of six townships, an area of about 125 

 square miles. Compared with the Moose and Dead rivers it 

 is, therefore, but a small l)asin, and as from previous visits I 

 had a fair idea of its topography, I had intended to take its 

 timlier history and condition on hearsay. Dissatisfaction, 

 however, with the work already done, a sense of its inaccu- 

 racy , and the feeling that some piece of land ought to be explored 

 in a more systematic and thoroughgoing way than had yet 

 been done, kept me longer in the Moosehead country than 

 was at first intended. Ground could not be re-traversed, 

 however, so boating across Moosehead and then striking 

 across country from above Kineo to the farm on Lower Roach 

 pond, three of the townships on the river were subjected to a 

 somewhat careful examination. 



Topogrs^jhy, FiYst and most thoroughly covered was I, R. 

 et«- XIV, made up of the Blake and Spencer bay tracts 



so called. This is a town of uneven though not rough topog- 

 raphy . The only mountains near are the Big and Little Spencer 

 lying just off the town to the north and northeast, too far off 

 to make the town at all mountainous in character, while lifting 

 its northern edge into two waves of high, hard-wood land. 

 In this report we will confine our attention to that portion of 

 the townshi[) which lies north of Roach river and east of 

 Spencer bay and pond. Of this territory, the northwest por- 



