he province is keenly alive to the situation and 

 the opportunities that are waiting, and in its 

 accurate survey of its many and various clay 

 deposits, its exhaustive tests to determine the 

 suitable qualities of all material, and through 

 its university course preparing a future supply 

 of trained ceramic experts, it is paving the way 

 for the development of the clay industry on a 

 scale the Dominion has not hitherto known and 

 one which its valuable resources warrant and 

 justify. 



Tree-Planting Activity 



The Canadian prairies, from the exceeding 

 volume no less than the high quality of their 

 agiicultural product, have achieved such world 

 renown that the question of the fertility of 

 the soil, climate and other factors entering into 

 profitable farming are beyond questionable 

 possession. There are sometimes contemplating 

 settlers, however, who, whilst realizing the 

 peculiar advantages farming on prairie land has 

 from certain points of view, entertain definite 

 objections to livingupon vast, sweeping, unbroken 

 plains, horizon-bound, treeless, devoid of shade 

 or shelter. These objections would be justified 

 did the Canadian prairies present such a bare, 

 unattractive aspect, but such is no longer the 

 case. 



When the great trek to the Canadian West 

 was first well under way, the Canadian govern- 

 ment proved to its own entire satisfaction that, 

 for whatever reason few tiees were found to be 

 naturally growing on the prairie lands, it was 

 not to be accounted for by the inability of these 

 lands to produce and support substantial forest 

 growth. Being satisfied to this extent, in the 

 interest of better and more economic farming, 

 in the fostering of more attractive living con- 

 ditions, and the promotion of a spirit of content 

 and an appreciation of the beautiful in the 

 faiming population, it inaugurated a campaign 

 of tree-planting, at no expense to the farmer, 

 save his initial labor in planting and subsequent 

 care. 



The establishment of a 480-acre nursery by 

 the government at Indian Head was closely 

 followed by a similar establishment by the 

 Canadian Pacific Railway at Wolseley in the 

 same province, which organization also under- 

 took extensive distribution. About five thousand 

 farmers per year, in the three provinces, who 

 have made application, have been satisfied. 

 The principal varieties of trees sent out have 

 been Russian poplar, willow and carragana, 

 species to which the prairie soil and climate are 

 especially adapted. In the past twenty-one 

 years, the Canadian government has distributed 

 60,418,000 seedlings and cuttings, or about 

 3,000,000 annually. 



Forty Thousand Shelter Belts 



In the time which has elapsed since the 

 initial work was done, the Canadian prairies 



have undergone a gradual transformation. 

 Beautiful green groves of thriving trees surround 

 many prairie farm homes, imparting shade in 

 summer, giving shelter in winter to farm stock, 

 having an ameliorating influence upon the living 

 conditions within the homes, and furnishing 

 additional touches of beauty to the landscape. 

 Their economic value must not be underestimated. 

 It is figured that the government's work has 

 resulted in the establishment of 40,000 shelter 

 belts on the prairies which are valued by their 

 farm owners at from $500 to $5,000 each, with 

 an average value of about $1,000. 



The tree-planting movement has received 

 increased impetus and momentum each year 

 since establishment with the wider advertised 

 possibilities of growing belts, as well as the 

 realization of their great agricultural value, and 

 the enthusiasm and activity which have charac- 

 terized the spring and summer of the present 

 year have resulted in more trees being planted 

 in 1922 than in any previous year. About six 

 million trees have been sent out from the 

 Dominion Government nursery at Indian Head 

 alone, whilst the forest nursery at Petawawa, 

 Ontario, has been responsible for planting 

 150,000 trees on the forest reserves of the 

 Prairie Provinces. 



It is gratifying this year to note that the 

 exceptional interest manifested in tree planting 

 is generally over the Dominion, and that the 

 prairie planting is but a small part of the main 

 movement. The Quebec and Ontario govern- 

 ment nurseries have done a great deal more 

 forest planting this year than ever before. 

 Several of the big pulp and lumber companies 

 have done considerable planting, and there has 

 been activity evinced by the municipalities of 

 Quebec and Ontario in forest plantations. In 

 the latter province the scheme of county and 

 township forests devised last year has been put 

 into active operation. 



In the Eastern provinces as well as on the 

 prairies, cities, towns and villages have planted 

 trees by the thousands along the streets and in 

 the parks, and where provincial highways are 

 being constructed trees have been set out under 

 a systemized plan. Many urban centres and 

 municipalities have decided upon avenues of 

 trees as most appropriate and permanent war 

 memorials, an important one of which is the 

 planting along the proposed boulevard which is 

 to traverse Montreal Island from end to end. It 

 is significant of many things that the cities and 

 towns of the prairies are now, from the beauty 

 of their arborage, their well-set-out -parks and 

 shady avenues, almost indistinguishable from the 

 older cities and towns of the East, where trees 

 are indigenous and where growth has been 

 promoted for a number of years. Canada 

 certainly has a keen appreciation of the value of 

 tree growth, both from the aspects of economy 

 and beauty, and is fostering the planting of 

 trees in every way. 



198 



