12 Canadian Forestry Journal. 



and these conditions are so different from those prevaihng 

 in the rest of the Dominion that it would scarcely have been 

 the part of wisdom to have undertaken the work of reforest- 

 ing the prairies on theoretical knowledge or the experience of 

 other countries. Although this is not a conservative Govern- 

 ment its measures in this matter have been to some extent 

 conservative. They have looked to action upon known lines 

 and to experiments for something upon which to base their 

 future action. 



As regards the preservation of the sources of water 

 supply it is the high or hilly country, which, in the West 

 is generally forested; in fact, in that country" forest and hill are 

 so intimately associated that there a piece of woods is often 

 called a bluff, or hill. In the United States the word "bluff" is used 

 to mean a hill, but in the North-West the word "bluff" is used 

 to mean a clump of timber, the idea that there must be a hill 

 if there is timber being so well grounded in the public mind 

 by the facts as they exist. So that, one of the first things that 

 was done by the Government in this matter was to take measures 

 to preserve from deforestation wholly partially forested areas 

 in the North- West by creating timber reservations in these 

 localities. This, however, is a much easier matter to deal with 

 sitting here in this comfortable room in this capital city of the 

 Dominion, than it is where you have to deal with a large number 

 of very energetic enterprising people who require that timber 

 for the preservation of life. It is therefore a question which 

 cannot be dealt with offhand ; it must be considered from varying 

 and directly opposite points of view. The Government have 

 necessarily been cautious in this matter but it has made very 

 considerable advances and hopes to make more as circ\mistances 

 permit. That is in regard to the preservation of forest areas 

 which will preserve the water supply in the surrounding country. 



Besidesthis there is, in the northern and north-western parts 

 of the Territories a very great area of country which is principally 

 forested and there I w^ould like to say that what the Premier 

 has said in regard to the destruction of forests by fires applies to 

 a tremendous extent. I think he said that in the Ottawa Valley 

 the total destruction of timber was 90% by fire to 10% by the 

 lumbermen. I think that in this forested area I speak of in 

 the North-West where the timber is especially valuable because 

 of the requirements of the prairie country the proportion would 

 be 99% by fire and one per cent by the lumbermen. Every 

 year there is a destruction by fire of timber of stupendous value, 

 not so much in money value as in the value that the timber is 

 to the settlers in the adjacent country where there is no timber. 

 A difficulty arises in dealing with this question. There is a 

 vast area of tiinber which has no immediate money value and 



