NATURAL HISTORY AND PHYSIOGRAPHY OF NEW BRUNSWICK. 227 



ARTICLE V. 



NOTES ON THE NATURAL HISTORY AND PHYSI- 

 OGRAPHY OF NEW BRUNSWICK. 



By W. F. Ganong, Ph.D. 



23. — The Forestry Problem in New Brunswick. 



(Read March 7th ; revised December, 1899,) 



The greatest natural source of wealth of New Brunswick lies in her 

 forests. These are steadily deteriorating. The public is uninformed 

 and hence indifferent as to their fate. These three facts constitute a 

 forestry problem of the gravest character, and one vastly important to 

 the future of this province. 



Probably there is no other part of the earth's surface that origin- 

 ally bore a nobler forest on a land so richly watered.' Some of the 

 most valued timber trees of the northern temperate zone grew in New 

 Brunswick, and completely clothed her hills and valleys from her farth- 

 est inland waters all around to the sea. Every part of the province is 

 penetrated by streams which, while swift, are never torrents ; and 

 these by the melting of the abundant snows of winter are made pass- 

 able for the lumber which thus may be carried cheaply into the many 

 large rivers, and down these to fine harbors at their mouths. Immense 

 tracts in the province are admirably adapted for tree growing, and are 

 useless for any other known purpose. Thus has Nature provided in 

 New Brunswick the conditions for a great industry, and thus does 

 she point out our most profitable occupation for the futui'e, when 

 lumbering must be based upon forestry, which consists not in the 

 hunting of trees but in their cultivation. 



In the meantime, however, New Brunswick forests are being irre- 

 trievably damaged. I do not now refer to defects in forest regulations, 

 systems of cutting, stumpage, etc., for I know nothing about this 

 subject. I have inferred, however, from the numerous newspaper 

 writings of the late Edward Jack, who knew these matters so practi- 



