74 



The Canadian Forestry Journal. 



commercial organizations, schools, lit- 

 erary societies, etc. Wherever possible, 

 these will be taken in series, so as to 

 effect a saving in time and traveling 

 expenses. Members who know of op- 

 portunities for delivering such lectures 

 should communicate with the secretary 

 as early as possible, so that details may 

 be arranged. It is hoped by this means 



during the coming autumn and winter 

 to greatly increase the interest in the 

 work of the Association and to add 

 largely to its membership. 



An office has been secured at 11 

 Queen's Park, Toronto, and to this 

 office all correspondence should be 

 addressed. 



Growing Trees for Fuel. 



Bv Norman M. Ross. Chief of Tree Pl.\nting Division, Forestry Br.\nch. 



The question of a home-grown supply 

 of fuel is one worthy of serious considera- 

 tion on the part of every farmer living 

 more than a few miles from natural 

 timber. The planting of trees for this 

 purpo.se, however, has not heretofore 

 received any general attention. There 

 have been reasons for this. In the first 

 place, the average farmer, in developing 

 a new home, has not much inclination to 

 devote any time and labor to undertak- 

 ings not calculated to bring in imme- 

 diate returns; secondly, the general 

 idea prevails that it takes too long for 

 a tree to grow to make it worth while; 

 again, it has not always been possible 

 to secure cheap and suitable nursery 

 stock for general planting, and finally, 

 the farmer has had no available data 

 to fall back upon to warrant his expend- 

 ing much money along this line of work. 



At the present these conditions are 

 somewhat different. Though many 

 settlers may not be in a position to set 

 out plantations there are many more in 

 the older districts who can, and who 

 certainly should, direct some of their 

 energies in this direction. We are now 

 in a position to state definitely that fair 

 fuel can be grown on a prairie farm in 

 from six to eight years, not, of course, of 

 best quality, but sufficiently good for 

 sunmier cooking. Each year after this 

 adds to the quality of the wood grown. 

 There is now no difficulty in securing 

 suitable nursery stock at a moderate 

 cost. Though even yet we have not 

 much available data regarding the 

 growth of cultivated varieties in close 

 plantations, we shall have a sufficient 

 number of examples of comp;iratively 

 old planting to prove conclusively that 

 fuel may be grown within a very few 

 vears. 



The Best Varieties. 



The question naturally arises: what 

 varieties are likely to be the most profit- 

 able for the farmer to plant? This is a 

 point which can be definitely decided 

 only after several years of testing. We 

 can at present merely base our sugges- 

 tions upon observation and not upon 

 accurate measurements. 



The following are points to be con- 

 sidered : — 



1. The variety must be a rapid grower 

 so as to give returns at an early date, 

 and it must also produce wood of a fair 

 fuel value. 



2. The varieties must be easily pro- 

 pagated in order that planting stock 

 may be fairly cheap. 



3. The varieties should make a second 

 growth readily from the root when the 

 tops are cut down. 



4. The plantation must be estab- 

 lished at the least cost consistent with 

 the results desired. 



Now, as to varieties we would suggest 

 the Cottonwood and willow as best for 

 Manitoba, Saskatchewan and North and 

 South Alberta. In the central districts 

 of Alberta the Russian poplar may have 

 to take the place of the Cottonwood. 

 Of the willows the acute-leafed varietv 

 (salix acutifolia) would seem one of the 

 best. Of course we must admit that 

 poplar and willow are not Hkelv to pro- 

 duce as good a quality of iuel as maple, 

 ash or elm; but it must be realized 

 that they will produce a far larger 

 volume of wood on a given area, which 

 will be large enough for ftiel in a 

 shorter time. 



The common wood fuel of the country 

 is poplar wood. The cottonwood, Rus- 

 sian poplar and willow will produce 



