Canadian Forestry Journal, February), 1919 



55 



CLOTHING THE PRAIRIE WITH TREE LIFE. 

 A photograph taken in lyiS by H. C. Weaver, near Atlas, Saskatchewan. The first 

 trees were planted along the roadway in 1909. 



THE RURAL SCHOOL PLANTATION 



fit) H. C. Weaver, Atlas, Sask- 



The Rural School is first and foremost of all 

 institutions, entitled to be the one spot where 

 good cheer and social betterment reign supreme. 

 If we just wander back in thought to the years 

 of our childhood, we will remember the stately 

 elm or maple, greeting us along our pathway to 

 and from the rural school, and usually on the 

 school-ground also, of the old district back east. 



Let us be inspired to beautify our homes, our 

 school grounds, and our public highways here in 

 in these prolific prairie provinces, and by the 

 help of Nature, make use of the several hardy 

 varieties of forest trees which are a proven 

 success for planting in these none too humid 

 western communities. 



By hardy varieties, I refer, under average 

 prairie conditions, to Red Willow, Manitoba 

 Maple, Green Ash, and for a hedge, Caragana. 

 These varieties, in the order in which they are 

 named, make an ideal four-row plantation, for, 

 I should say, three sides of the rural school 

 grounds, having the Caragana planted next the 

 building, one foot apart in the row, the other 

 varieties four or five feet apart in the row, and 

 all rows four feet apart. 



This will permit of easy cultivation, it being 

 assumed that no trees are planted until the land 

 has been carefully worked for at least two years 

 previous to planting and worked up so thor- 

 oughly that not a vestige of grass or perennial 

 growth is alive. Experience has shown that no 

 trees should be planted closer than ten or fifteen 

 feet from the native sod. This strip between the 

 trees and sod kept so cultivated as not to allow 

 any growth whatever, and particularly, always 

 sloping a deep furrow next the grass and thrown 

 m toward the trees. This prevents the grass 

 from working into the trees, as trees and grass 

 '.vill not thrive together on the prairies. 



If not larger than two or three foot specimens 

 of the above-mentioned varieties are planted not 

 too soon before the rainy season begins in the 

 spring, by tramping the soil down solid around 

 the roots, and leaving a loose and level mulch on 

 top, there is no reason why our efforts should not 

 be crowned with success. 



Of course there are occasional insect pests, 

 but these need hardly be mentioned here, for if 

 we will plant trees on these bald prairies, and 

 thereby encourage the birds to make their homes 

 among us, the insect pests will, by these "police- 

 men of the air," be reduced to a minimum. 



1919 OFFICERS, CANADIAN FORESTRY 

 ASSOCIATION. 



At the annual meeting of the Canadian For- 

 estry Association in Montreal on Wednesday, 

 January 29th, Mr. J. S. Gillies, of GiUies Bros., 

 Braeside, Ontario, was elected President for 

 1919; Mr. Clyde Leavitt, Vice-President; Mr. 

 Percy B. Wilson, of the Spanish River Pulp & 

 Paper Mills, Sault Ste. Marie, a new director, 

 and Hon. E. A. Smith, territorial Vice-President 

 for New Brunswick. 



OFFICERS, WOODLANDS SECTION. 



At the annual meeting in Montreal, Thursday. 

 January 30th, of the Woodlands Section of the 

 Canadian Pulp and Paper .Association, the fol- 

 lowing officers were elected: Chairman. Robert 

 P. Kernan, Quebec: vice-chairman. Marshall P. 

 Small, Grand'mere: councillors. R. F. Kenny. 

 Buckingham; A. J. Price. Quebec, and Ellwood 

 Wilson, Grand'mere. 



