30 ' l\l//l\ /-oA'/.'N//.') ASSOCIATION 



rw<l ran remain in the hand.- of the licensee subject to any reason- 

 able change in tilt- regulation- the department may di-em it wise to impose. Good 

 judgment and a >!"-. examination of the di.-tricts would U> necessary together with a 

 general policy x\t -ruing large areas. A patch of reserve here and there taken out of 

 licensed lands i- not what i- thought of. hut when the general character of a district 

 is found suitable then this phase of foiv-t management may come up for con- 

 siderati"ii. 



Speaking of re.-ervatioiis > far, it has been looking to the propagation of white 

 and red pine, but there is another question of great interest to the province. The 

 height of land between Georgian Bay and the great Northern Basin, and which is the 

 backbone of Ontario, extends from the sources of the rivers running into Georgian 

 Bay and Lake Huron around the north end of Lake Nepigon and westward; the 

 prevailing timber being spruce. Thi- rein on has been ravaged by fire from time to 

 time, the prevailing timber is small, the land utterly unfit for cultivation, and it has 

 been looked upon as a wilderness, under no kind of surveillance, and liable to be set 

 on fire by any wandering intruder. Is it not time that this vast territory should be 

 brought under an efficient system of fire protection? Let alone, it will only go from 

 bad to worse, and probably, in time, from recurring fires, become a veritable wilder- 

 ness. There is at present supposed to be a large quantity of merchantable timber 

 and pulpwood growing on it, and pending the question of making it a vast forest 

 reserve, which does not require an immediate decision, it would surely be in the in- 

 terests of the province to find out what timber is on it and to take immediate steps 

 to have it brought under the system of provincial fire protection. 



The only other question to be touched on in this paper is one that has been dimly 

 in the minds of many people in this province and probably also in other provinces; 

 and that is, what should be done with a very considerable area of land in the Dom- 

 inion suitable for both farming and forestry, of which the district of Muskoka may 

 be taken as a type. Muskoka is a beautiful and healthy country, with a bracing and 

 invigorating climate, mostly hilly, with innumerable streams and lakes of clear 

 water abounding with fish and game, an excellent example of the features of the 

 country found within the Laurention range, the hills, as a rule, not rising more than 

 a few hundred feet and covered with trees. Between thirty and forty years back, 

 while large lumbering operations were being carried on, this district was opened to 

 settlers, and while it cannot be denied that many of them have done well, still a 

 number of abandoned farms can be seen by any one driving through the district, and 

 many settlers, while remaining there and being averse to giving up their holdings are 

 fighting an uphill battle on account of the character of the soil on which they are 

 located. The district being of Laurentian rock, has all the characteristics of the 

 formation; the rocks having been subject to attrition for untold ages, have given a 

 e-'iistitution to the soil very different from the limestone series or from the ordinary 

 alluvial deposits. In many circumscribed spots of greater or less extent as good soil 

 can be found as anywhere, but they are limited in extent, the general character of the 

 country being better fitted for tree growth than for agriculture. The good soil is 

 splendidly adapted for the growth of clover and timothy, potatoes and roots of all 

 kinds; grass will produce the very best cheese and butter, the milk being rich and 

 delicious. 



It is manifest that a country of this kind, which has a population of thrifty 



farmers, cannot be depopulated even if it could be shown that better financial results 



would accrue to the holder if it were all kept under forest; the conditions point rattier 



1 holdings of greater extent than at present prevail. Instead of trying to make 



living as a farmer only, the proprietor should be encouraged to acquire larger acreage 



and become a forester as well as a farmer. An ideal condition for the district would 



for the proprietor to own say 1,000 or 1,200 acres; cultivate the really good part 



wherever found within his boundaries, and keep the rest of it in forest. A knowledge 



try could be acquired by reading, or it could be imparted by professors or 



