68 Forestry Quarterly 



Timber and Soil Conditions of Southeastern Manitoba. By L. 

 C. Tilt. Bull. 45, Dominion Forestry Branch. Ottawa, Canada. 

 1914. Pp. 36. 



The bulletin is the result of a preliminary survey of 3,500 

 square miles by two men during one summer, the object being 

 to investigate the soil and forest conditions with a view of ascer- 

 taining whether the country was better suited for agriculure or 

 for forestry. 



The author discusses the character of the country under three 

 divisions, namely, the prairie region, the transition area and the 

 Laurentian region. Naturally, the two latter contain the forest 

 and most of the bulletin deals with them. The transition area 

 lies between the prairie on the west and the western edge of the 

 Laurentian formation on the east. Geologically it is related to 

 the prairies, being covered by layers of cretaceous sandstones 

 and limestones dressed with glacial deposits which become 

 increasingly thinner as one approaches the Laurentian. The 

 forests of the area are brought together under three types : Jack 

 pine type, occupying 7 per cent. ; the Poplar type, 20 per cent., 

 and the Muskeg type, 73 per cent. 



The Tack pine type, occupying the gravelly and sandy ridges, 

 is for the most part not over twenty-five years old and 80 per cent, 

 of it is not over 4 inches in diameter. The area averages only 

 114 trees per acre and consequently the trees are bushy. Repeated 

 fires have converted 20 per cent, of the area into prairie-like 

 openings. The Poplar type is found on the heavier soils and 

 the density of the stands is about the same as that of the Jack 

 pine. The trees are scrubby, fire-wounded, frost-bitten and fun- 

 gus-eaten. About 80 per cent, of them are not over 6 inches in 

 diameter. It is evident that the Poplar occupies areas once 

 chiefly possessed by White spruce and young spruce is abundant 

 beneath the poplar where burning has not been excessive. 



The Muskeg type of the transition area is subdivided into three 

 conditions, namely, the heavily timbered, the lightly timbered and 

 the open muskeg. These terms are apparently used only for the 

 sake of comparison, for on the heavily timbered muskeg less than 

 10 per cent, of the tamarack, forming 80 per cent, of the stand, 

 and none of the Black spruce, is over 1 foot in diameter. 



