50 Canadian Forestry Journal. 



fined to water-powers of small dimensions, and the service must 

 be given in the immediate neighbourhood of the water-power. 



Quite recently, however, the transmission of electricity for 

 considerable distances has been fully demonstrated to be feasible 

 and economically important, and at once it became evident that 

 water-powers had assumed an increased market value by reason 

 of the facility with which the power of water could be devoted to 

 the generation of electrical energy, which energy could then be 

 carried without serious loss or prohibitive expense, and in greater 

 or less quantities to power markets and centres of population. 



With the preceding statements postulated the natural ques- 

 tion arises to what extent are we blessed with water-powers over 

 this coalless area, and how convenient are they to centres of 

 population? Also, what has been accomplished to the present, 

 and what is the future outlook? 



If we study a map of Canada we find the area before referred 

 to, to consist, broadly speaking, of two drainage areas: one 

 tributary to the Hudson Sea and the other to the St. Lawrence 

 Valley, the population of the countr\^ being chiefly centred in 

 the latter area. Doubtless the Saskatchewan and Winnipeg 

 Rivers will soon become important from a power point of view; 

 the former because of its relation to wheat grinding, the latter 

 because of its nearness to Winnipeg; but looking at the St. 

 Lawrence water-shed, one is at once impressed by the great 

 number of large rivers, flowing Southward from the Height of 

 Land, which all have excellent water-powers, and which, flowing 

 as they do from a wilderness, full of swamps and lakes, are ad- 

 mirably uniform in their run-off, and liable to remain undisturbed 

 for some time to come. The development of these powers is at 

 present chiefly along the lines of milling and grinding, and only 

 where situated near centres of population, such as Ottawa or 

 Montreal, are they devoted to the generating of electricit}'. 



Coming, however, to the rivers of that portion of Ontario, 

 South of the Ottawa River, and of Quebec South of the St. 

 Lawrence River, a different and much less satisfactor}- condition 

 prevails; and although in earlier generations, these rivers may 

 have been quite steady in their flow, this is. with two or three 

 exceptions, not now the case, owing to the great amount of 

 cleared land and consequent rapid run-off of the flood waters, 

 as soon as the spring thaws have taken place. 



Before coming to the main subject of this paper, which is 

 the relation between forestry^ and water-powers, it may be in- 

 teresting to dwell for a moment on the financial magnitude of the 

 question under discussion. At the present time there has been 

 developed in Canada about 350,000 H.P. of water-power, which 

 probably, including transmission lines, represents an investment 



