Current Literature 737 



ernment lumber inspectors. Because of the lack of grading rules 

 and poor inspection, many export cargoes of lumber were unsatis- 

 factory to buyers. It is proposed that the government inspectors 

 shall not only inspect outgoing shipments and certify the grades, 

 but also will train natives for inspection work. 



The relative importance of the various activities of the Bureau 

 are well shown in the distribution of expense in field work. 



Cost 

 Per cent 



Licenses 41.16 



Public Land Examination imder Homestead 



Law 21.61 



Caingins 6.44 



Commercial forests 3.25 



Botanical Collection 1.51 



Sundays and Holidays 10.51 



Leave 2.65 



Reconnaissance 2.06 



Administrative activities, especially hcense (timber sale) work 

 was paramount, followed by homestead examinations. 



The Bureau showed a slight loss in revenue over the year 

 1914, due to unfavorable market conditions. However, the ex- 

 penditures of the Bureau were only 64 per cent of the receipts. 

 The Bureau from the first year of administration has been self- 

 supporting, the expenses during this period averaging 57.3 per 

 cent of the receipts. 



R. C. B. 



Fames Officinalis — A timber-destroying fungus. (Simimary of 

 a paper to be published in the Transactions of the Canadian 

 Institute, 1917.) By J. H. Faull. 



1. Historically, Fomes officinalis occupied an important place 

 in medicine, dating back to Dioscorides, and is still officially 

 recognized in Austria and France. It was also used for various 

 purposes, including the preparation of yeast for breadmaking by 

 the early settlers in Ontario and Quebec, and known to them as the 



