61 



Canadian Forestry Journal, May-June, 1912. 



sand, by that time deprived of i\\\ 

 the grass roots which had formerly 

 hekl it in place, began to drift. Little 

 was thought of it at the time, but 

 tlie drifting became worse and worse 

 until it got beyond the power of the 

 people to stop it, and for many years 

 the area has lain uncultivated. Look- 

 ing over an expanse of a couple of 

 hundred acres, which included the 

 land just planted, the narrator con- 

 tinued, 'I have ploughed every field 

 you see here.' 



While the soil is pure sand, and be- 

 comes very dry on the surface, yet 



owners of tlie farms, evidence of 

 which is to l)e seen along the way out 

 to the planting area. As far back as 

 1898 the Central Experimental Farm 

 assisted by sending out i)lanting ma- 

 terial to farmers in the vicinity. The 

 chief trees sent out by them have been 

 white pine, white spruce, Norway 

 spruce, balsam fir and tamarack. 



On this hill the provincial govern- 

 ment has purchased some 375 ar- 

 pents (about 820 acres) of land, with 

 the intention of eventually planting 

 it up to species of valuable trees. 

 The original owners of the land are 



.fOs 



ft-^^^ 



[Photo F. W. H. J., May, 1912. 



Fields Covered by Drift Sand Near Lachute, P.Q. 



(Note Buried Fence). 



even in the driest times abundance 

 of moisture is found four or five in- 

 ches below the surface. Some trees 

 of good size are found growing on it, 

 among the species found being white 

 pine, tamarack, balsam fir, white 

 spruce, white cedar, balsam poplar, 

 aspen poplar and white birch. Wil- 

 lows planted there have been very 

 successful. 



A certain amount of planting has 

 been done in former years by the 



to be allowed to 1niy back the forest- 

 ed land, after a term of years, if they 

 so desire, at a price that will recoup 

 the government for its outlay. This 

 spring a l)eginning of the work is 

 being made on a small area of about 

 thirty arpents purchased from Mr. 

 Paul Nicholl. The area is triangular 

 in shape, and is well suited for the 

 purpose, being well protected by 

 trees on two sides, especially to the 

 north and west. When the planting 



