44-8 THE HOME, FARM AND BUSINESS CYCLOPEDIA. 



The duty of legislatures, in regard to existing woodlands, and replant- 

 in--, is being pressed upon our attention from various quarters, and*un- 

 questionably ere long every progressive country must take some action. 

 How much to do, and what not to interfere with, will make the bill. 

 That the Ontario Government has a warm side to trees is well known, 

 and it is to be hoped that whatever they do will be early, full, good, rapid 

 and permanent. 



American Forestry will have no place in all its scientific and practical 

 value until one of two things be accomplished : one is the conviction on 

 the part of our farmers of the necessity of conserving and replanting, 

 therefore their education up to these, and the other is the power by Gov- 

 ernment to resume parts of the country for conserving and replanting. 

 Both will be difficult ; the former would be the slower, but eventually 

 the most thorough because of self-interest; the latter would be more im- 

 mediate and possibly less efficient practically, though scientifically better- 

 applied. No large number of various interests could be so well arranged 

 as by a company, and therefore Government will have to become fon^- 

 ters in all the many details of the profession. Were a properly conducted 

 system of forestry begun in 1884, the results would be so strong in the 

 year 1900 as to astonish. It would possibly change much of our present 

 agricultural practice ; it would certainly enhance the production of winter 

 wheat to an immense extent ; it would enable us to graze nearly two for 

 one by checking rapid evaporation and encouraging permanent pasture ; 

 it would largely nullify droughts, perpetuate streams, and generally make 

 climate more regular and reliable. 



To those acquainted with Arboriculture as a profession in all its na- 

 tional bearings, an annual expenditure of $50,000 has in other countries 

 made an annual crop revenue of $25,000 within fifteen years, in addition 

 to the triple value of climatic amelioration. 



