1911-12 DEPARTMENT OF LANDS, FORESTS AND MINES. 75 



The old road leading into the Park had not been gravelled for three years, 

 and as it needed it badly in places I had it gravelled from the townline up to 

 the pavilion, then continued with a much heavier coat up through the picnic 

 ground on the new road. The total cost of gravelling was $635.20. 



The sawlogs that were cut out of the trees that stood on the new roadway 

 and sold have not been taken away from the Park yet. The firewood we cut out 

 of the tops of these trees will furnish the Park Ranger with fuel for two years, 

 besides supplying ilie cottagers who camp on the Park with fuel at $3.25 per cord. 

 I have sold over $70.00 worth to them this season, and forwarded the amount to 

 the J^epartment. 



The red deer on this Park have been breeding for about ten years and in- 

 creased until they numbered up into the hundreds. They became so numerous 

 that they have browsed and destroyed a large number of the young pine, cedar 

 und seedlings of other kinds of trees on the Park, and also on properties adjoin- 

 ing. They have been seen pasturing on farms nearby, 15 to 25 in a herd. Com- 

 plaints from the farmers and destruction of the young growth here caused the 

 Department to arrange to reduce the number. Consequently two expert deer 

 hunters were sent, and during the deer season succeeded in killing about 90. Be- 

 sides selling about $800 worth of venison, the Department gave a carcass to each 

 person who had sustained loss. As there are still quite a number of deer left, it 

 will probably be necessary to repeat this action in another year or two. 



Muskrats have been giving trouble along the sand approach to the . dock, by 

 cutting holes through behind the sheet piling into the sand, allowing the water 

 to wash out large holes. We dug a trench along the low dock, put in plank and 

 filled behind with marsh grass to keep the sand from washing out, but that only 

 lasts a short time. We put in the grass twice this season and there are several 

 fresh washouts already. To make a permanent job, a trench should be dug when 

 the water is low in the spring, between the sand and the dock, as deep as the water 

 will allow, and put in a cement wall. A wall 6 inches thick along the low dock 

 would be sufficient. At the end of the high dock it should be 10 inches thick. 

 This, I think, would prevent the rats doing further damage to the dock. 



A few weeks ago some person fired the marsh grass at the farther end of the 

 Park. During the night, while we were alseep, a high wind drove the fire to this 

 end, and it narrowly missed burning the whole row of summer cottages. We were 

 awakened by the light of the burning leaves, grass and old buildings across the 

 picnic grounds, about six o'clock in the morning. We just got there in time to 

 put out the fire in one building and save two others. When the fire was well under 

 control we found that it had burned three unsightly old boat houses, an old shack 

 formerly used as a summer cottage, and a small stable. None of these structures 

 were of much value, but there were several 'boats and a large number of decoy 

 ducks burned in them. 



If the coming season is favorable for picnics and summer resorters, it is 

 the general impression among the people here that, with the completion of the 

 new road and a few other improvements that will be made in the spring, the sea- 

 son of 1913 will be the best in the history of the Park; so many are anticipating 

 the pleasure of driving through the natural forest on the new road. There have 

 been as many as 75 automobiles here in a day this season, and often from 30 to 40. 



The wild geese in the enclosure have done well this season, but the wild tur- 

 keys have not given satisfactory results at all. After the two hens had been set- 

 ting about a week something disturbed them and they left the nest. In a few 



