REVIEWS 571 



Report of the Forest Branch of the Department of Lands of the 

 Promnce of British Columbia for the Year Ending December ^i, ipi8. 

 Victoria, B. C. 1919. Pp. 27. 



This report consists almost entirely of statistical tables, with little 

 comment. It reveals the fact that the Forest Branch is after all merely 

 a timber-land administration and has nothing to do with forest man- 

 agement. The word "forestry" does not occur once, and no allusion is 

 made to the subject-matter comprised in that word, unless a brief ref- 

 erence to slash disposal in connection with fire protection may be so 

 construed. 



The most interesting item is an account of the effort to increase the 

 spruce production for airplane construction. It appears that the pro- 

 vincial government commandeered all (Sitka) spruce supplies. 



This order was subsequently supported by the "Spruce-cutting Act." 

 Compensation was given to the owners of expropriated timber at a flat 

 rate of $6 per thousand board feet for No. i and $2.50 for No. 2 grade 

 spruce logs. 



Organized effort increased the output from month to month from 

 116,000 feet in June to 6,850,000 in November, altogether 26,124,000 

 feet of a material hitherto neglected, valued at over $114,000,000. At 

 this time British Columbia was more than equaling the entire produc- 

 tion of the Western States, with all their resources in men and ma- 

 terial — a result accomplished in eight months. 



The year's total lumber product, including shingles, lath, poles, piles, 

 ties, fence posts, etc., is stated as 1,545,000,000 feet, over 50 per cent 

 increase on 191 5 figures, with an estimated value of over $54,000,000, 

 as against $29,150,000, and yielding a revenue from all forest resources 

 of $2,730,800. The general expenditures were a little short of $118,- 

 000, while the government's contributions to the forest-protection fund 

 were $104,000, licensees paying an equal amount, the total expenditure 

 in this direction amounting to around $229,000. 



There are not quite 900,000 acres of private lands, valued at $9.60 

 per acre, but the extent of government lands in various conditions is 

 not stated. B. E. F. 



Department of State Lands and Forestry of the State of Maine. 

 Bulletin 2. 1918. Pp. 72. 



This publication is peculiar, from the bookmaker's point of view. 

 That it refers to the State of Maine appears only from the letter of 

 transmittal, and that it is really the annual report of the department 



