14 



PARAGRAPH V. 



ABSOLUTE FOREST LAND. 



Forestry is one of the three soil industries (agriculture in its 

 largest sense, mining in its largest sense, forestry in its largest 

 sense). The soil industries dealing merely with the surface of 

 the soil might be arranged, according to the intensity of labor 

 required in their performance, in the following schedule: 



Ranching 



Sylviculture 



Hay raising 



Production of Cereals 



Orcharding 



Truck-farming. 



Everyone will admit that, in the long run, "every square foot 

 of national soil should be devoted uninterruptedly to that pro- 

 duction under which it pays best." This demand should form 

 a plank in our national platforms invariably. 



Soil on which forestry promises to be the most remunerative 

 pursuit in the long run is called "absolute forest soil." The 

 designation of soil as "absolute forest soil" is influenced by the 

 following factors : 



1. ECONOMICS 



(a) transportation facilities 



(b) prevalence of forest fires 



(c) forest taxation. 



II. CLIMATE 



(a) prevalence of fevers 



(b) shortness of period of vegetation 



(c) prevalence of excessive summer-rains 



