352 



CdiKididii lujirstrx JounuiL July. kjjo. 



of the crops. So i,n-eat this year is the 

 necessity in this region that a iHnnl)er 

 of farmers have shown a wniuh-rlnl ex- 

 ample of courage. A l)an(l ol these 

 farmers, having no food for sn])i)ly of 

 their flocks and herds have g(jne four 

 hundred miles northward near Prince 

 Albert and have leased a considerable 

 stretch of hay land, and will utilize the 

 C.P.R. coming hy way of Kegina. to 

 bring plenty for their horses and cattle, 

 and will likely lia\e a snrplns for their 

 neighbors in tlie dry region. This 

 place demands admiration of the grass 

 adxenturers of the district. 



To see what .uoing north in Eastern 

 Saskatchewan across the Moose Moun- 

 tain might result, the writer made a 

 visit to Indian Head to see the con- 

 trast. Indian Head is north-west of 

 Kisby across country some sixty or 

 'seventy miles. Yet in Indian Head 

 there are the two splendid government 

 farms — one for ordinary agriculture, 

 the other for forestry. While south of 

 the Moose Mountain there is this year 

 serious drought, not only the govern- 

 ment farms are flourishing with great 

 success, but the ordinary farming in 

 the Indian Head district has a most 

 abundant crop. 



We cannot evade the question, why 

 there should be such a contrast from 

 the two points distant from each other 

 as the crow flies only seventy miles 

 apart? No doubt the answer is that 

 the difference arises from : 



1. The occurrence of the barrier of 

 Moose Mountain between them. 



2. More ivom intervention of the 

 belts of trees and shrubs that intervene 

 and maintain the moisture in spite of 

 southern Avinds that blow. The only re- 

 medy to meet drought is not only now 

 to cliant our song, "Woodman spare 

 that tree." to the i eckless tree destroy- 

 ers that are found in every rural dis- 

 trict, l)Ut to press upon our local legis- 

 latures to make it a misdemeanor to cut 

 down forest sheltering trees as well as 

 brushes and shrubs to any great ex- 

 tent without the permission of a gov- 

 ernment inspector. 



Further, "Arbor Day." which began 

 years ago as a provincial duty to plant 



trees in town ami country, should be 

 renewed and instead of its now being 

 made a mere holiday, to be a day of 

 saired duty lying at the \erv base of 

 our prosperity. Let city, town, \illage 

 and rural municipality nnaiiiniously de- 

 termine to fight and destroy this most 

 dangiM-oUs menace, wliicli in some fu- 

 ture, not far distant day, may in\(il\e 

 our wliole province in dismay." 



FOREST WASTE 



The fre(|uent reports of forest fires 

 in this country make de))ressing read- 

 ing. ( )ur forest areas, the en\y of 

 other countries, are being depleted not 

 so much by the woodman's axe as by 

 negligence and lack of closer forest 

 supervision. 



The great majority of the forest fires 

 are due to carelessness. Every sum- 

 mer many fires are traced to camjjs 

 It is astonishing with what childish un- 

 concern those travelling through 

 woods, and caminng, will throw away 

 lighted matches, and show stupidity as 

 to the care which should be exercised 

 in stamping out camp fires. Careless- 

 ness such as this is criminal and should 

 be treated as such. There is some- 

 thing pathetic and terrible in the spec- 

 tacle of enormous areas of gaunt and 

 blasted trees. 



There was never a time when timber 

 was so valuable the world over, and 

 laws safeguarding it cannot be toO 

 stringent. 



Owing to the dry spell the danger of 

 forest fires has been particularly great 

 of late. The absence of rain makes 

 the carelessness of the camper a still 

 greater menace. Until such time as 

 such offences are promptly punished, 

 and this can only be accomplished by 

 more strict forest supervision, there is 

 little promise of better conditions pre- 

 vailing. 



