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their exchequers, still millions have been destroyed by fire without exciting the 

 least effort to prevent such wholesale destruction. These Provinces are spoken of 

 as the future home of millions of people, and yet there is no foresight displayed 

 in reserving, for their use, such indispensable necessaries as cheap building 

 material and fuel. In these two Provinces there exists an immense area that will 

 never be fit for settlement, but which, if judiciously managed, would place Canada 

 in the front rank as a timber-producing country, thereby affording constant 

 employment to a large section of the population, and supporting both commercial 

 and shipping interests. To attain these results, it is neither necessary to injure 

 or disturb such vested rights as have been acquired, nor to adopt very extraordi- 

 nary or costly expedients. 



" Either to lease such lands for long terms, on condition of keeping up the 

 supply, and restricting the cut according to the growth and species of timber on 

 the limit, or by resuming possession of those lands which have been cleared of 

 their pine, and placing them under the charge of practical foresters, replace the 

 pines by varieties that would repay the cost of culture. I am aware that the 

 mere mention of forest-culture seems something far fetched and impracticable to. 

 Canadian ears, but that does not alter the fact that, of all descriptions of culti- 

 vation, it is the most profitable. When, further, in a country like this, it becomes 

 a question of utilizing a territory not adapted to any other purposes, and which 

 otherwise must remain barren and unproductive, there should be no hesitation 

 respecting the course to be pursued. 



" It is, no doubt, very unfortunate that a line of policy, which is calculated to 

 stir up some grumbling and opposition, and of which the advantages can scarcely 

 be fully appreciated for one or two generations, is not likely to enlist the sym- 

 pathy of politicians, but this very reason should decide a patriotic statesman to 

 undertake it with determination." 



The opinion was expressed that white pine, valuable as it is, would scarcely 

 pay to cultivate. By preserving the young trees, it may still last for a number 

 of years, particularly as there is not much likelihood that the soil which it occupies 

 will be required for other puposes. It requires something near a hundred and 

 fifty years to attain maturity. It was remarked that of late years experiments 

 made in various countries having widely different climates have established the 

 fact that trees may be successfully grown in regions far removed from their 

 original habitat, and can already compare favorably with those of mature growth. 

 There is, therefore, no reason why similar results should not be attained in 

 this country. 



The Eucalyptus, an Australian gum-tree, was mentioned as an illustration of 

 this fact, it having been found to thrive remarkably well in the south of France, 

 in Algeria, Hindostan, and California, but it would not survive the winters of 

 Canada. 



As to the appointment of inspectors of forests, to report on the timber, and 

 enforce the laws for prevention of forest fires, it is said : 



" The appointment of such a staff would supply one of the most urgent needs 

 of the country the prevention of forest fires. If it were generally understood 

 that the lowest estimate of the average annual loss through the forest fires, places 

 it at $5,000,000 in the Ottawa valley alone, it appears to me that public opinion 

 would soon interfere to prevent such a fearful waste of the national wealth, 

 for it should be remembered that in the great majority of cases these fires originate 

 in causes that could be easily controlled. But that the country should derive the 

 fullest benefit from the services of such a corps, it is necessary that these inspectors 

 should be practical foresters, of high education and ample experience in thS best 

 training schools of Europe. It would be comparatively easy to secure the services 



