24 The Canadian Forestry Journal. 



arrival at St. Williams, I found that there was a fire fighting 

 experience to be had. There is in this district one owner who 

 has some good second growth white pine and he knows the 

 value of it. The scrub oak lands above his were burning, and 

 he was out fighting fire with some local assistance. I had an 

 interesting conversation with one of his men as we were working 

 along the fire line. This man informed me that it was a good 

 thing to burn the area over often as the fire did no injury to 

 the oak, and it would always be easy to control if too much 

 stuff was not allowed to collect. I said that the fire was right 

 now destroying lots of white pine and, of course, received his 

 pity as a poor ignorant city chap. From where we stood I 

 commenced pointing out pine seedlings from two to five years 

 old which were being burned. He did not recognize them before, 

 because previous to this he had imagined that a white pine was 

 only a log and until he could see a log he could not see a white 

 pine. It is safe to say that a large proportion of these scrub 

 oak lands woiild in a few years be well stocked with white pine 

 if fire were kept out. It is high time that the people of such 

 districts should realize the potential value of cut-over lands 

 where tree growth of any nature is being reproduced. 



The scrub oak is a most valuable asset to these lands. It 

 gives the soil protection and the leaves are continually adding 

 humus to the soil. There is market for oak as fuel wood at a 

 small profit. The larger butts of these scrub oaks are being 

 marketed for turnery work, such as wheel hubs. A wood preser- 

 vation plant will be installed and suitable fence post material 

 will be treated. It is desired not only to make this a source of 

 revenue from the scrub oak, but also to make it of use from an 

 experimental standpoint. 



On the better sites management will aim to leave the best 

 quality of oak as standards, but on the high, poor sites white 

 pine reproduction will be favored. Where natural reproduction 

 is working in, the oak or other hardwoods will be removed as 

 fast as marketable ; the remaining material on these soils offers 

 but little obstruction to the young pines, and is most valuable 

 as a soil improver and protector. 



Artificial planting will be carried on in open fields where 

 there is no possibility of reproduction. In these situations 

 experimental work with mixtures and species will be commenced. 

 Experiments on areas covered with scrub growth will be made 

 with seed, seedlings and transplants of white pine. 



The Government Nursery at Guelph is being moved to 

 this district and co-operative work with private land owners 

 will be carried on from this point. The location of the nursery 

 at the border of this waste land makes nursery management 

 less difficult. A more permanent staff may be employed in the 



