88 Canadian Forestry Journal. 



"Resolved, that this Society hears with pleasure of the 

 reported acquirement by the Federal Government, of railway 

 woodlands in Northern Manitoba, with the object of conserving 

 our valuable northern forests. Large areas of these northern 

 forests should undoubtedly be maintained for all time as forest 

 reserves, and 



"Resolved, that this Society endorses the plan of tree 

 distribution in the west as carried out by the Department of 

 Interior and would advise a continuation of the same within 

 reasonable limits as to the varieties distributed, so as. to cause 

 as little injury as possible to our important home nursery interest, 

 an interest which has done a great work in encouraging horti- 

 culture and forestry throughout our prairie regions; also, that 

 special attention be given to the planting of trees on government 

 lands in the prairie provinces which are not suited for general 

 settlement." 



The past month has been unusually dry and warm in the 

 Northwestern Provinces and as a result the Dominion Forest 

 Fire Rangers were called out earlier than usual. 



Reports received at the Forestr}^ Office, in Ottawa, record 

 numerous fires as having been started. Generally, they have 

 originated on the prairie, but in some cases have, notwithstanding 

 the efforts of the rangers, assisted by the settlers, spread into the 

 timber. In the southern part of the Spruce Woods Forest 

 Reserve, in Manitoba, it is feared considerable damage has been 

 done to the young timber and in the foot-hills of the Rocky 

 Mountains along the valley of the Red Deer River a large fire was 

 fought for a week. Something like six miles of trench was dug, 

 from which back firing was done, making a fire break around the 

 timbers. Notwithstanding this, a strong wind sprang up and the 

 fire leaped over this guard, got into the timber and destroyed 

 a small sawmill which was operating there. It was feared that 

 another larger mill with some 400,000 feet of lumber would also 

 be destroyed, but was saved by very hard and continuous work. 

 It is to be hoped that the dry and warm weather that has pre- 

 vailed in Alberta and Saskatchewan ever since the spring set in 

 may soon change or serious consequences will result, both to 

 those interested in the forests and in agriculture. 



We notice a very strong popular demand for government 

 control of water powers. If we wish to protect the power for 

 the use of the people, we shall have to start at the source and 

 withhold from private control the watersheds from which the 

 supply of water comes. 



