154 BRITISH POSSESSIONS IN AMERICA. 



" The total area under the control of the Dominion Govern- 

 ment is composed as follows : — 



Square Miles. 



Prairie land . . . about 250,000 



Barren land in the north . ,, 1,000,000 

 More or less wooded area . ,, 1,406,201 



Total Dominion lands . . 2,656,201 

 Area of Provincial lands . . 963,618 



Grand Total .... 3,619,819 



On a very large portion of the Dominion wooded lands the 

 forest growth is of little value for commercial purposes, 

 so large that only about one-fifth of the 1,406,201 square 

 miles, or 280,000 square miles, can be considered as timber 

 lands of commercial value. Assuming that on this area each 

 acre contains, on an average, 2,000 feet board measure, there 

 are still available 360,000,000,000 feet of mature timber, 

 which at the low rate of royalty to the Government of one 

 dollar per 1,000 feet, would amount to 360,000,000 dollars, 

 or .£72,000,000. This represents only the mature timber. 

 [It is clear that the Dominion forests are capable of 

 yielding at least £'2,000,000 annually at once; while that 

 revenue can be many-fold increased as time goes on, if the 

 forests are systematically managed and protected against fire.] 



The greater part of this timber is growing on land said to be 

 unsuited for agriculture, either from its high altitude or high 

 latitude. Within the forests are rapids and w^aterfalls more 

 than sufficient to yield the water power required for the 

 conversion of the timber. 



Important as the forests are on account of the produce 

 which they yield, they are even more so for the influence which 

 they exercise upon the preservation and regulation of the 

 water supply of the country. By removing the forest growth, 

 roaring torrents will be created to last for a few weeks. 



