1885.] EDITORIAL NOTES. 



Arbor Day. — Proclamations were issued during April by the 

 proper State authorities, masters of State Granges, and the like, for 

 the observance of a day, whose date varied according to local 

 requirements, but during which members of Granges and all others 

 were to occupy their time in planting trees, shrubs, and vines, not 

 neglecting to treat also in such fashion the roadsides bordering 

 lands thus improved. Special attention was to be given to the 

 embellishment of schoolhouse and public grounds. Members were 

 to assemble in their halls on the evening of the day, when amongst 

 the exercises appropriate to the occasion prominence was to be given 

 to arboriculture and Horiculture. 



Canadian Forests and their Management. — In a long article 

 in the Montreal Herald, Mr. Edward Jack keeps " pegging away " at 

 this topic. The no-system of forest conservancy, the non-separation 

 of timber lands and those fitted for settlement, with tbe lack of 

 organizations to prevent forest fires, or to ameliorate their dire 

 consequences, are rapidly destroying the Dominion's forestal patri- 

 mony. But above all, speculators have acquired timber limits at 

 an old song, to be resold at fabulous profits, as is known by some 

 Edinburgh victims. Thus a block of timber- covered land was 

 acquired for 1000 dollars, held for 13 years, and then sold for 

 60,000 dollars. Here all that was merchantable was the right to 

 cut, as the Government reserves the solum of the ground. 



PuGET Sound. — Now, as all eyes are fixed on the uneasy move- 

 ments of the great Northern bear, it may be worth while to call 

 attention to this great natural harbour, 200 miles long, with a literal 

 line of 1800 miles, just opposite Paissia's Pacific territories. It is 

 surrounded by a thickly-timbered belt of fir, cedar, alder, maple, 

 and other woods. In Western Washington there are 20,000,000 

 acres covered with timber, equalling in area that of the six most 

 populous of the eastern North American States; it averages 25,000 

 feet of lumber to the acre, or a total of 500,000,000,000 feet of 

 lumber, which, if overtaken at the rate of the 2 5 companies operating 

 on this vast territory, would take 1000 years to cut down. Such a 

 country, where the fir trees sometimes attain the height of 250 feet, 

 yielding planks of lumber sometimes 100 feet long, with innumerable 

 natural harbours, and with water-way where the merchant marine 

 of the world may obtain lumber supplies, is, in the light of future 

 contingencies, worth looking after. 



