Residence of the Lieutenant-Governor, Regina, Sask. 



had lieen greatly impressed by what he 

 saw. His Honor had proved that trees 

 would grow there, and, as for vegetables, 

 they were the most magnificent he had 

 ever seen. In the East the problem to be 

 faced was that of tree preservation, here 

 it was partly that, but chiefly tree 

 planting. If the fire could be kept out 

 of eastern forests they could be preserv- 

 ed and the streams would be kept in 

 even flow, not becoming a succession of 

 floods and low water, as was the case 

 when the watersheds were denuded of 

 their trees. He was particularly glad to 

 see so many young people and teachers 

 in the audience. He wanted to say what 

 he had said to His Worship the Mayor 

 when they were out driving the previous 

 day. They passed a waggon in which 

 were four fine healthy boys and he had 

 told His Worship that that was the best 

 crop raised on the plains (applause). 

 He thanked them for their words of 

 welcome . 



TREE PLANTING ON THE 

 PRAIRIES. 



The morning session was devoted to 

 papers and discussions on the planting 

 of trees on the prairies, and the first 



paper was gi\'en by Mr. Angus Mackay, 

 superintendent of the Dominion Govern- 

 ment's Experimental Farm a,t Indian 

 Head. Mr. Mackay spoke in part as 

 follows : 



"When the Experimental Farm was 

 started at Indian Head in 1888 tree 

 growing was considered one of the most 

 pressing experiments. The Farm at that 

 time and up to 1905 served the then 

 territories of Assiniboia, Saskatchewan 

 and Alberta, and, as the greater part of 

 the settled portion of this vast territory 

 was a treeless plain, every effort was 

 made to find suitable hardy varieties 

 that would grow in any part thereof. 



Over 39,000 trees of thirty difierent 

 species were obtained and planted in 

 1889 and 1890. A large portion of these 

 were dead in 1900. Those hardy enough 

 to stand and still living were Scotch 

 Pine, White and Norway Spruce, Cedar, 

 American Elm, White Birch, White Ash, 

 Native Maple, Ash, Elm, Poplar and 

 Birch. Since then Russian Poplars, 

 American Cottonwood, Willows, Mount- 

 ain Ash, Larch, Balsam, Poplar and 

 Oaks have been added. 



In the spring of 1893 tree distribution 

 commenced from the Experimental 



109 



