418 FACTS RESPECTING CANADIAN FORESTRY. [April 



readily ascertain how fast our spruce timber is leaving us. As 

 regards the former and present log production of some of our rivers, 

 it may be mentioned that the Magaguadaric formerly yielded 

 12 to 15 million feet B. M. per year, present production nothing; 

 New Eiver, 7 million feet, now none; Lepreau River, 8 to 10 

 milllion, now none; Grand Lake once yielding 50 million feet, now 

 perhaps gives 5 to 6, and so on ; for not one, but dozens of streams 

 and rivers is the same story of nearly total destruction of spruce. 



In so far as the first quality of white pine {Pinus strobus) is 

 concerned, it may be looked upon as a thing of the past with us. 

 lu confirmation of its scarcity on the St. John, where it once 

 iiourished in such quantities, it may be mentioned that a log-hauler 

 in the winter of 1883—84 agreed to pay £2 sterling per foot board 

 measure for the right to cut this wood on the Arestook, a branch 

 of the' St. John, which takes its rise in the adjoining state of Maine, 

 the owners of the block on which this was cut having reserved the 

 timber from the axe for years. The nortliern part of New Bruns- 

 wick is not a spruce country ; the counties of Restigouche and 

 Victoria embrace some millions of acres of forest land, but this is 

 chiefly caused by a growth of maple, birch, and beech of large size, 

 the soil of a large portion of it being of excellent quality. Enough, 

 however, has been written to show that our day of spruce production 

 to any large extent is fast drawing to a close. 



I stated when here that the different provinces of the Dominion 

 of Canada took no care of their various forests ; that they make 

 no provision for the active protection of their forest lands from 

 fire, by the employment of a competent staff of men for that 

 .purpose during the time in which forest fires rage ; that, on the 

 contrary, they are allowing settlers to locate themselves upon land 

 'the growth on which consists chiefly of such woods as spruce, pine, 

 ■or hemlock; and that these trees when felled, after having been 

 piled as it is called, are set fire to and destroyed, and that sparks 

 from these settlers' clearings are constantly destroying vast forests 

 of valuable softwoods. It is true that tlie Legislatures enact laws 

 regarding their forests without, however, making any provision for 

 the carrying them into effect, by the appointment of proper officers. 

 In many instances, unfit and incompetent men have been employed 

 to ascertain the quantity of timber cut during the winter, and thus 

 great loss in money has been entailed on the country. 



No system of forest economy or conservation is pursued by 

 any of the provinces ; no statistics are obtained or kept as to the 

 lands which have been destroyed by fire, or as to barren or 

 worthless lands ; in fact, the various Crown land offices of these 

 provinces are managed more in the interest of the lumbermen, land 



