1920-21 DEPARTMENT OF LANDS AND FORESTS. 227 



developed as the needles continued to elongate. That the blighting of 1920 was 

 neither as severe nor as typical as in 1918 and 1919 is in part due to the fact 

 that the comparatively high temperatures of June 25th and 26th were followed 

 by almost a month of cool weather with high atmospheric humidity, conditions 

 that enabled the developing needles to retain the otherwise insufficient amount 

 of water supplied by deficient root-systems. 



(2) Winter Browning of Coniferous Foliage in 1920, 



The spring of 1920 was marked by an especially severe browning of the 

 foliage of coniferous trees. No species escaped — white pine, red pine. Jack pine, 

 white spruce, black spruce, balsam, arbor vitae, though some fared worse than 

 others. Probably the arbor vitae and balsam sufi^ered most. A few trees were 

 killed outright and many others were so badly browned as to appear dead. Fre- 

 quently the twigs as well as the needles were killed and no doubt the dwarfed 

 branches on the exposed sides of trees in this northern region owe their deformation 

 in large part to repeated " winter-killing." There is no doubt likewise but that 

 ^Svinter browning" and needle blight have been confused to some extent in 

 earlier reports on the Ontario forests. 



"Winter-browning" affects most severely the needles of the last season (in 

 this instance, the growth of 1919), though the injury may extend to needles of all 

 ages. It also occurs almost exclusively on the side of the tree exposed to the south. 

 and especially on the lower part of the crown. Thus it is especially conspicuous 

 on the southern aspect of trees that line the northern shores of lakes or streams, 

 or cleared or barren areas, or the steep southern slopes of hills. Mostly it is only 

 those needles or parts of needles that are actually exposed to the southern sun 

 that discolour though, as already noted, the injury may involve the stems of 

 small branches as well as the needles. 



"Winter-browning" is not due to frost, but to an excessive loss of moisture 

 from the foliage at a time when the ground is still frozen and the roots consequently 

 inactive. It takes place, for example, under the influence of bright sunshine 

 combined with an elevated temperature. The winter browning of 1920 is unques- 

 tionably referable to the unseasonably warm bright weather between March 22nd 

 and April 2nd up to within a few days of which the zero weather of the winter 

 had been practically continuous. The maximum temperature of 58 deg. F. was 

 recorded on March 23rd. The accompanying tracing is based on the temperature 

 records made by the Weather Bureau Station at Bear Id., L. Temagami. 



(3) Some Diseases of Pulpvvood Trees of the Temagami Forest Reserve. 



(n) " 7?ed Brandt" of Balsam. 



Balsam is numerically the commonest of the economically important trees 

 of the Temajrami Forest Reserve. It grows abundantly everywhere, it grows 

 rapidly, and it commonly succeeds the more valuable pines as a replacement crop 

 in pure or mixerl stands. Unfortunately there is no species in the Reserve that 

 is so subject to disease — to such an extent, indeed, that merchantable balsam is 

 found in very limited quantities. Heart rot is the most serious malady to which 

 it is subject, serious from the standpoint of yield, and serious with respect to 

 the health of other associated coniferous tim1)er trees; it will be referred to again 

 in another connection. I wish especially to call attention here to two new or 



