ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF ONTARIO. 21 



which means simply knowledge, and it has been given the special signification of exact 

 knowledge, or the best knowledge. I f)resume this was what Prof. James meant when 

 he explained to us that the new agriculture was simply an outcome of the necessity, 

 now a-days, for farmers to have the best possible knowledge and education upon all 

 subjects affecting their calling. I feel sure that eveiyone here was pleased to hear his 

 kind words about the different societies he referred to, and most particularly proud of 

 what he said of the work of th's Society. There is no doubt that special knowledge is 

 now necessary for farmers to compete fcuccessfuUy in the struggle of life. I noticed a 

 statement in the newspaper this morning which well illustrates this fact. 



Prof. Henry, one of the best known teachers of agriculture, who is at the present time 

 doing good work at the Wisconsin Agricultural College, obtained his position owing to 

 his practical knowledge of all the details of farming. He has always held that the best 

 men and the best knowledge were necessary for successful farming, and used it as an 

 argument for farmers' sons to remain on their farms and study farming in earnest. 

 There was a vacancy at one of the other agricultural colleges for an agriculturist, and, 

 the story goes, that Prof. Henry was asked if he could send a suitable man to fill the 

 pest at $1,500 a year. His answer was that he regretted to say that he could not tl.t n 

 find a man propt rlj equipped with all the necessary knowledge of farming, but that if it had 

 been a lawyer or a doctor that was required he could send a whole carload at $600 apiece ! 



Mr. Fletcher resumed his seat amid much applause, and was followed by the Rev. 

 T. W. Fyles, of Quebec, who read the following paper : 



HOW THE FOREST IN THE DISTRICT OF BEDFORD WAS SWEPT AWAY, 

 By Rev. Thomas W. Fyles, F.L.S., South Quebec. 



The remarks contained in this paper apply to that hilly section of the Eastern 

 Townships which lies between the Seigniories on the one hand and Lake Memphremagog 

 on the other, more particularly to the counties of Missisquoi, Sheff'ord and Brome. I have 

 known the locality for more than thirty years, and, in the early part of that period, was 

 intimate with many of the first settlers of the district. Originally this was one vast 

 forest, broken here and there by lakes and beaver meadows. The prevailing trees were 

 the pine (Pinus strobus Lin.), the hemlock {Abies Canadensis Michx),tne spruce (^ fetes nigra 

 Poir), the balsam {Abies balsamea Marshall), the cedar {Thvja occidentalls Lin.), the tama- 

 rack (Larix Americana Michx), the maple {Acer saccharinum Wang), the beech {Fagus 

 fervginea .Ait), the elm ( Uhnus Anipricana Wiild ), the basswood ( TiUa Americana Lin), the 

 white ash {Fraxinus Americana Lin), the brown ash (Fraxinus sambucifolia Lin.) the 

 birch {Betiila papyracea Ait), the butternut {Jvglans cinerea Lin.), the red cherry {Cerasus 

 Fennsylvanica Linn ), and the black cherry {Cerasus serotina Ehrhart). Some spots were 

 named from the nature of the growth which covered them, as Pine Mountain and Spruce 

 Mountain, in Brome. 



In early days the staple productions of the district were pot and pearl ashes ; and 

 the tree that was found to yield the greatest abundance of these was the elm, and as in 

 those days the law was administered in Montreal, and was an expensive luxury, the 

 early settlers, many of whom were squatters, were allowed to do in the forest very much 

 that which was right in their own eyes. Accordingly regardless of meurn el tuum, they 

 cut down the elms wherever they could find them, and converted them into " black 

 salts." Consequently the elms of the primeval forest were the first of its trees to dis- 

 appear. The pines followed next in order. The quality of the timber and the ease with 

 which it was worked brought the white pine into great request. Where there was water 

 transit, as for instance, near Lakes Champlain and Memphremagog, the clearing off" of the 

 piue was rapid. And, throughout the district local requirements could be satisfied only 

 with the choicest timber, and all that was not of the best was accounted " vile and 



