Canadian Forcslrij JournaL June, 19 IS -172'> 



Machine Guns or Forest Fires 



If Canada presented (lerniany with one hundred machine guns, the Gov- 

 ernment responsible for the act would not only be deposed but thrown into 

 ])rison. 



Any weakening of Canada's natural resources is equivalent to direct gift 

 to the Teuton adversary. It adds to our handicaps and to his relative 

 advantages. It saps this country's power to bear up in time of war and 

 during the trade struggle of peace times, for the natural resources are the 

 great keystones on which the national arch depends. 



To have our forests burn down by wanton acts of our own population is 

 quite as pleasing to the Hun as to send paid bombers into our munition plants. 



To see the national strength reduced by stingy fire protection serves the 

 German aim quite as handily as to submarine our ships. 



If German forests were disappearing as fast as our own, some sense of 

 military satisfaction might be felt at the present time. But such is not the 

 case. 



In Saxony, with 435,000 acres of forests, the loss from fire is rarely more 

 than $300 per annum. Wurtemburg, with 418,000 acres of forest losses 

 about $650 per annum. The Duchy of Baden, with 240,000 acres had onh 

 99 acres burned in nine years. Thus, on about 1328 square miles of German 

 forest, the loss runs about |950 a year. Similar figures apply to other Qerman 

 forest areas. " 



Canada, of course, cannot hope to establish conditions of forest manage- 

 ment analogous to those of Germany, and the fire hazard will long remain 

 alarmingly high, certainly until the great peril of logging slash is thoroughly 

 removed. But even with all allowances for our peculiar situation in which 

 all steps towards conservation must be gauged by the liklihood of immediate 

 profit in terms of cash, Canada's forest fire losses remain out of all proportion 

 to our "irreducible minimum." 



Farm Fertility Needs Tree Protection 



Addressing the York Pioneers Club other grain crops, York County has 



at Toronto, Mr. Charles W. Nash, an for years exceeded the average of the 



Englishman who came to Canada province. The average yields for the 



many years ago from the agricultural county and province respectively be- 



countv of Sussex, gave his audience ing as follows: Oats, 46-40; Barley, 



the benefit of his observations of the 36-33; Rye, 17-16; Peas, 18-16; Corn, 



contrast of results obtained in con- 50-44. As one reason for the fall- 



servation of fertility of the soil in ing off in productivity of the soil 



Canada and Great Britain. The 40 in York, and in the province in gen- 



and 45 bushel crops of wheat, which eral, Mr. Nash gave the too extensive 



were general throughout York County removal of the forest, an opinion in 



when he first knew it are now the which he i s endorsed b y many 



exception, he said, and he quoted farmers of long practical experience. 



Government statistics, showing that Not only does this removal of the 



the average yield of wheat for the forest leave the cultivated land too 



county in 1917 was 25 bushels, a greatly exposed, locally, but where 



figure which was below the average the tree growth is entirely removed 



for the past 16 years, however, by from the location of the source of 



eleven bushels. The average yield streams the results are disastrous to a 



for the Province of Ontario was only regular and sufficient supply of water 



28 bushels of wheat and in this and through the country-side. 



