Destruction and Deterioration 95 



forest covered lands valuable for agricultural pur- 

 poses. No power on earth, under our form of gov- 

 ernment, can in the long run keep these lands out of 

 the reach of the land-hungry settler. Nor is there 

 any good reason why an attempt should be made to 

 preserve forests of this kind, to a greater extent 

 than the farmers themselves are doing by maintain- 

 ing their wood-lots, provided there are areas of for- 

 ests elsewhere sufficient to supply our national 

 needs. Let it be remembered : Generally speak- 

 ing, farming brings a larger profit from land than 

 forestry, except on the poorer soil. Therefore, no 

 good soils should be kept as forest, if poor lands 

 are to be had for that purpose. For all who are 

 interested in the promotion of a better forest policy 

 on the part of our public authorities this point is 

 of the greatest importance. They should never 

 lose sight of it in their advocacy of measures and 

 their attempts at enlightening the public. One of 

 the commonest objections to laws for the protection 

 of the forests in newly settled regions is the plea 

 that it would retard the development of the coun- 

 try. It would keep away settlers. People living 

 in the older parts of the country can form no idea 

 of the importance which the residents of new dis- 

 tricts attach to the coming of new settlers. A hun- 

 dred new families taking up land in a county every 

 year is the condition which makes every business 

 man in the county towns prosperous. If immigra- 

 tion stops, bankruptcy is at the door. No wonder, 

 therefore, that people in such localities, people of 



