26 



Canadian Forestry Journal, Jan.-Feb., 1912. 



les courants aeriens, deja charges 

 d'mie certaine quantite de vapenr, 

 arrivent en contact avec cette colonne 

 d'air plus liumide et plus froid qui 

 surmonte et enveloppe les forets, ils 

 abandonnent assez fre(|uemment, sous 

 forme de pluie, de brouillard, de ro- 

 see, une partie de leur humidite. 

 Voila pourquoi on entend dire que les 

 forets attirent la pluie. Yoila pour- 

 quoi dans les vastes plaines de la 

 Russie meridionale ou les recoltes sout 

 tres frequemment compromises par la 

 secheresse du climat, le Gouvernement 

 et parfois les proprietaires particu- 

 liers font planter a 1 'entour des terres 

 de culture de grands rideaux boises. 



C 'est bien aussi a la disparition des 

 forets qu'il faut pour une grande 

 part attril)uer les secheresses pro- 

 longees qui desolent certaines con- 

 trees telles que la Grece, I'Asie Mi- 

 neure, la Syrie, I'Algerie, I'Espagne, 

 le IMidi de la France, presque tons les 

 rivages entin de la Mediterranee. De 

 faits nombreux relates par les histo- 

 riens, par les voyageurs, par les geo- 

 graphes et entre autres par notre 

 grand geographe francais Elisee Re- 

 clus, ii ressort nettement que ces re- 

 gions etaient autrefois mieux arrosees, 

 plus riches en eaux courantes, moins 

 arides. 



Elles etaient a coup sur beaucoup 

 plus fertiles et prosperes. Leur cli- 

 mat semble s'etre asseche. Qu 'elles 

 pleurent a jamais leurs forets de- 

 truites ! Car c 'est surtout sous leur 

 ciel chaud et lumineux que I'on pent 

 dire: 'Terre sans eau, terre sans re- 

 colte. ' 



tion, when the matter of regulations 

 governing railways in the matter of 

 forest fires arising from the opera- 

 tion of their lines through forested 

 districts was before the Board. 



The question came up on an appli- 

 cation from the British Columbia De- 

 partment of Lands, asking for an 

 order of the Board regulating the 

 operation of locomotives within the 

 forest regions of the province. This 

 order was granted. 



Judge Mabee said the regulations 

 would be drawn up and submitted to 

 the parties concerned and, if too 

 drastic, amended. The question, 

 he thought, should have come up 

 twenty tive years ago. 



The matter of oil-burning locomo- 

 tives was discussed at some length. 

 The officials of the C.P.R. said these 

 locomotives were now being used on 

 their western lines, but were found 

 expensive. Great Northern Railway 

 representatives reported that their 

 road was using oil-burning locomo- 

 tives with satisfaction. Dr. Fernow 

 urged the use of oil-burning locomo- 

 tives, as tending to keep down the 

 number of forest fires. 



^Ensemble des earacteres que iiresentent 

 les pluies dans une I'egion determinee, no- 

 tamment au point de vue de leur frequence, 

 de leur intensite, de leur distribution, sui- 

 vant les saisons, etc. 



Rules Will be Framed. 



Of the very greatest importance 

 to forestry interests was the session 

 of the Railway Commission held at 

 Ottawa, on February 7tli, the tirst 

 morning of the Association's conven- 



Will Study Forest Insects. 



Mr. J. M. Swaine, ]\r.Sc.A., late of 

 ]\Iacdonald College, has been Appoint- 

 ed to the statf of the Central Experi- 

 mental Farm, and will, under the 

 direction of Dr. C. Gordon Hewitt, 

 carry on the study of insects affecting 

 forest trees. His special work is in- 

 dicated by the designation Assistant 

 Entomologist for Forest Insects. 



^Ir. Swaine is a graduate of Cornell 

 University, where he obtained both 

 the Bachelor's and the Master's de- 

 grees in Agriculture. He has spent 

 five years on the staff of the IMacdon- 

 ald College, as lecturer in the bio- 

 logical department, of which Prof. 

 Lochhead is the chief. 



]\Ir. Swaine is at present engaged on 

 special study of the Scolytidae, or 

 bark-boring beetles. 



