54 • FOREST commissioner's report. 



the work has not been so thoroughgoing. There was too 

 much ground to cover. A township would l)e crossed once 

 or twice to get a general idea of its character and condition, 

 or the effects of different kinds of cutting and in different 

 kinds of growth would be examined. In the systematic 

 explorations, too, such counts were not generally continuous. 

 After I had trained myself for a while and be^an to feel 

 some confidence, the plan was adopted generally of count- 

 ino; for half a mile or a mile in a aiven jrrowth, averao-inff 

 up the results, and then depending on the eye so 

 assisted for a further stretch of country. This allowed 

 more ground to be covered, and had the advanta»e at 

 the same time of affording opportunity to examine the 

 land from other points of view — in respect to other kinds 

 of trees, to undergrowth etc. Count of steps and of trees, with 

 frequently those of log size seperated, with an estimate of the 

 contents of the trees in cubic feet, was quite enough while it 

 was in progress to occupy the mind. 



The results of this work on Dennis were not so satisfac- 

 ye^iT^^'^ tory as they were later, after further practice. 

 DeTn\s-°" The results so gained have to be supplemented by 

 general notes and comparisons. Dennis certainly 

 is a region where the production of spruce seems in a fair 

 way to be maintained. Almost everywhere 1 travelled a 

 good deal of small spruce was to be seen. This was so 

 throughout the mixed growth which covers the body of the 

 town and of which in the three days travel considerable areas 

 were seen. Only one area of pure hard wood land was 

 crossed. Then in ditterent parts of the town there are a 

 number of patches of oround amoiuitin<>: in the afr2;re<2:ate to 

 several square miles in which spruce predominates. Part ,of 

 this was still uncut, part had been culled for spruce one or 

 more times. On cut-over lands of this nature more spruce 

 on the averaoe was standi no- than in the mixed scrowth. 

 Almost all of it was broken in surface and very thrifty. 

 Consideration of all the facts and figures gathered, however, 

 would tend to set the average amount of spruce somewhat 



