REVIEWS 593 



In spite of war conditions, additional timber limits were auctioned 

 off to the extent of 877 square miles at a price of $415,615, the bonus 

 per square mile exceeding by more than $200 the price obtained in 1914. 



A longer discussion of the pulpwood situation brings out the fact 

 that from 1908 to 1916 the consumption of pulpwood by Canadian mills 

 has continuously increased to more than 260 per cent in amount and in 

 value more than 340 per cent, the province of Quebec furnishing more 

 than one-half the woodpulp produced in the Dominion. Of the 1,068,- 

 000 cords of pulpwood exported in 1916, 706,879 cords, or 74 per cent, 

 came from Quebec, and as the export from crown lands is prohibited, 

 this export came from private lands. Private lands also contributed 

 about two-thirds of the total sawlog cut of 1.265 million feet, the total 

 wood cut being valued at $27,500,000.^ 



As regards reforestation, the planting work of several paper com- 

 panies is referred to. The attitude of the government is expressed as 

 follows : 



"Reforesting the timber limits is a very delicate matter to deal with. 

 and we are now considering how we might arrange the matter with the 

 license-holders without binding our successors more than we have the 

 right to do. The question will be to decide whether the work should 

 be done by the government or by the license-holders or by both jointly 

 and what compensation should be allowed the licensees for their share 

 in the improvement. So long as the fire problem was not solved, the 

 question had to be neglected : but now that we are sure of success, we 

 must see as soon as possible to restoring forests on areas devastated by 

 fire or impoverished by exhausting farming methods." 



To assist in the reforestation work, the government nursery at Ber- 

 thierville is to have its capacity increased to 2.5 million plants for sale 

 to would-be planters. 



The government itself so far has made only some sand-dune plant- 

 ings on a small scale. 



A series of technical studies and explorations are gradually being 

 developed. 



The protection against fire being still not a function of the forest 

 service, a separate api)endix brings on three pages the report of the 

 Superintendent of the Forest Protection Branch, briefly giving the 

 statistics of the \ear. from which it appears that 243 square miles were 

 burned. B. K. F. 



' Tliose and other statistics in detail may also be found in tlie Iiandsomcly 

 printed Statistical )\'arbooh of Quebec. IQ17. to which Mr. Piclie contributes an 

 article on chemical pulp, which in the pulp production of the I")ominion is now 

 represented by 35 per cent of the total. 



