34 CANADIAN fO&BSTKt I'/1770:V 



ice. Hope you will be. 



.Mr. ( ANN. I will not make a speech but just say a few words, as I do not want 

 nterfere with the time of experts, gentlemen who have, perhaps, a great deal more 

 experience than I have had. I can agree fully with the sentiments expressed this 

 afternoon, that we may congratulate ourselves and the country generally on account 

 of the wise and far-reaching policy of reservation of our forests. It is one great 

 feature, and a very important feature, but you say in your report, I think, that the 

 time has come when the re-forestry of older Canada should be considered. That has 

 not been emphasized very much to-day, but I would just like to say a word or two along 

 that line. Xow, I hold in my hand here the Journal of Education, a copy published in 

 January, 1873, 31 years ago. At that time, nearly a third of a century ago, I took a 

 little interest in forestry and advocate 1 certain features, so perhaps I am entitled to 

 say just a few words. The circumstances were these : The Chief Superintendent of 

 Education, who represented the Government, offered a number of cash prizes to the 

 inspectors, teachers and trustees of Ontario for the best plan for school architecture, 

 and block plans for school sites. I was eligible, entered the competition and was 

 successful enough to win two first prizes, amounting together to $25. ' My name is 

 here, with all particulars about it. And we notice here the name of a gentleman who 

 to-day is a member of our ministry, who won five dollars along the same line. 



A voice. What name ? 



Mr. CANN. Richard Harcourt. To-day he is a member of parliament. I am in 

 parliament, too, not as a member, however, merely in the Parliament Buildings. 

 (Laughter). Pardon this personal allusion, gentlemen ; the reason I referred to it 

 is that I sent in plans and specifications on the block system for school houses, and 

 recommended, as strongly as I was able, the idea of using our schools for the raising 

 of trees and the distribution of trees in sections. That is, I advocated the teaching 

 of forestry to the children of our schools and making use of our schools in the pro- 

 motion of general forestry throughout the country. Now, the late Dr. Sangster was 

 a prominent man in the educational world at that time, and he congratulated me 

 personally on the idea. Since that time I have written to several papers advocating 

 the same idea, and I suppose, gentlemen, that you know better than I do that France 

 is a country that is noted for economy, and science, and advanced thought. France 

 to-day is using her thousands of schools and, I believe, other European countries, in 

 the same way that I proposed over 30 years ago. Now, I just bring this matter before 

 you and I would like the Association to consider the question and the importance and 

 propriety of using our schools as centres for the promotion of this great question. 



M r. JOLY DE LOTBINIRE. Allusion has been made here to-day by different speakers 

 about the difficulty of obtaining the seeds of our coniferous trees. Last year those 

 who were at our meeting may perhaps remember that we had a gentleman from the 

 .\cu Vi.rk K.. rot < ommission, Mr. Knechtel, who came here and made some most 

 interesting remarks about the work being done in the Adirondacks, and in the propa- 

 gation of coniferous trees from seed. Among the interesting things he told us was 

 the way in which he obtained these seeds by sending out boys and girls, and young 

 men and women at the time they are cutting trees, say spruce, although, unfortunately, 



