358 Canada. 



exports of forest products thus increased absolutely^ 

 relatively to other exports they have considerably 

 declined, i. e. the lumber industry has not grown pro- 

 portionally to other developments, for while in 1868 

 forest products formed 34 percent of the total export, 

 in 1904 they represented only about half that figure. 



The same conclusion, namely that the lumber busi- 

 ness has not increased rapidly in the last 25 years, may 



' be derived from the report of the Decennial Census. 

 While for 1890 the t^Jeiii. amounted to over 5 billion 

 feet and its value to nearly $80 million, in 1900 the cut 

 fell below 4 billion and its value to $53 miUion. 



"^ A measure of the depletion of the great staple White 

 Pine is found in the statement that from 1865 to 1893 

 the average size of pieces decreased by one-quarter to 

 one-third, and that in 1863 over 23 million cubic feet 

 were exported from Quebec as against 1.5 million 

 feet in 1904, while the price had more than quadruf)led 



i'Mn that period. Spruce has here taken the place of 

 pine, and Ontario is now the main producer of. pine. 

 Spruce, and especially pulpwood, forms an ever in- 

 creasing item in cut and export, export of pulpwood 

 having increased sevenfold in the last decade, to neai-ly 

 $2 million, and of woodpulp to over $3 million. 



A notable economic improvement has taken place 

 during the last ten or fifteen years in that the propor- 

 tion of raw materials exported, especially logs and 

 square timber, has decreased in favor of manufactures. 

 While originally the home country took the bulk of 

 exports of forest products, the cut of Ontario has been 

 always, duty or no duty, sent almost entirely to the 

 United States. In the last six or eight years, the ex- 



