THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. 



203 



moisture, to supply the springs and 

 streams and rivei-s of the world. 



Locally, woods of greater or less 

 extent exercise a most happy influence 

 by breaking the force of the winds, and 

 thus, in a marked degree, they modify 

 the climate ; they provide a kindly 

 shelter to our crops and to our cattle 

 from the rude blast, and from its chill- 

 ing influence produced by the increased 

 evaporation. 



In this respect it is surprising how 

 great benefit may be derived from single 

 lines of trees. This is still more mani- 

 fest when wider strips are planted, as 

 shelter-belts around the farms in the 

 broad expanses of an open country, like 

 that of our Western prairies. 



Intelligent nations who have learned 

 to appreciate the value of forests, and 

 who have acquired the knowledge that 

 enables them to build up and to main- 

 tain a well-regulated system of wood- 

 lands, endeavour to keep from one-fifth 

 to one-fourth of their superficial area 

 covered with trees. These are best and 

 most effective in their climatic influ- 

 ences when they are properly distri- 

 buted, but it often happens that exten- 

 sive tracts are devoted to tillage, while 

 the forests are clustered in large masses 

 on the crests of hills and on mountain 

 ranges which are not adapted to farm 

 crops. 



In the brief period of our occupation, 

 the energy of our people and the de- 

 mands of our civilization have accom- 

 plished a most terrible and wasteful 

 destruction of the beautiful forests be- 

 stowed on our land by the bountiful 

 hand of the Creator. Counting upon 

 what we have considered an inex- 

 haustible supply of woods, we have 

 wasted them sadly — and now we have 

 reached a point where it becomes us to 

 halt. Moreover, it is important for us 

 to recognize that, while clearing the 

 land for our farms, we have also culled 



out the best of the trees from the re- 

 maining forest which is thus greatly 

 diminished in value ; and already, in 

 many places, the shrunken streams give 

 us warning that we have approached 

 the point of danger to the climate. 

 Meanwhile, there has been no repara- 

 tion to the woods, the destruction of 

 the young trees caused by the browsing 

 and tramping of cattle, and the intro- 

 duction of grasses in place of the natural 

 undergrowth, have not only destroyed 

 all hopes of natural reproduction, but 

 have so changed the physical conditions 

 of the soil and atmosphere that even the 

 trees, which have escaped our cupidity 

 and remain in possession, are themselves 

 suffering from the change — they are 

 dying in large numbers, and compel us 

 to extend our inroads upon the forest 

 areas by their removal. 



Now is the time to begin at least the 

 conservation of our woodlands, and to 

 aid them in the process of self-renewal. 

 In this work natural forces most happily 

 come to our assistance — the bountiful 

 provision of nuts, acorns, and other 

 seeds, is sown with a liberal hand, and 

 we may count upon a full supply of 

 young trees to maintain the succession, 

 if we but furnish them the needful pro- 

 tection. Where they do not come in 

 sufficient numbers, it is an easy matter 

 to sow or plant such as may be most 

 desired and most profitable; and we 

 may also have to remove some of 

 Nature's planting which are of unde- 

 sirable kinds ; but we must carefully 

 exchule all animals from the woodland, 

 which should never be used as a pasture- 

 field. This is the first great axiom of 

 Forestry. 



In our beginnings of the future sys- 

 tematic forestry of America, we must 

 all soon realize our ignorance of the 

 subject ; and with many of us this need 

 of information extends even to a want 

 of knowledge in regard to our own 

 native trees themselves. 



