REVIEWS. 



Report of the Dominion Superintendent of Forestry, 1904. 



pp. 28. 



The succeeding reports of the Dominion Forestry Branch 

 tell a stcfy of steady progress. The distribution of tree's to farm- 

 ers in the West reached the number of 1,800,000, bringing up the 

 total distribution to 3,242,750, while the stock in the nurseries 

 is 4,229,557. The satisfactory character of the work done in the 

 setting out of these trees is shown in the fact that the percentage 

 of success is from 80 to 95 per cent. Twc^ special phases of 

 forestry work of the utmost importance to Canada are empha- 

 sized by Mr. Stewart in the following paragraphs, which are well 

 worthy of quotation : — 



" The early history of Canada is much enlivened by the ac- 

 counts of the journeys of the pioneer explorer into hitherto un- 

 known regions. The explorer and the missonary during the 

 French regime went hand in hand, and their names are written 

 far beyond wht-re the settler of to-day has yet gone, but private 

 exploration is a thing of the past. ^^^Fen to-day are too busily en- 

 gaged in personal advancement to permit of the gratification of 

 a spirit of adventure if such should exist, and the result is that 

 we know practically as little of the heritage we possess beyond 

 the settled districts as we do of Africa or Australia. It is true 

 that the Geological Survey has done all that could be expected of 

 it with the limited means at its disposal, but it seems to me that 

 the day has nrw come when the pa^ple of the country should have 

 the means of knowing the character and natural resources of their 

 own unoccujMed possessions.- The govermuent should know in 

 advance of settlement the character of the unsettled districts, so 

 as to direct immigration aright ; so that mineral lands might be 

 set aside as such; agricultiu-al land devoted to the agriculturist, 

 and land unsuited for agriculture but on which timber is grow- 

 ing reserved oermanenth' for timber." 



