Canadian Forcslrij Journal, August, 1917 



1255 



prietor to put back the forest in its 

 original state. 



Filling in Gaps 



Next, the two following cases must 

 be considered: 



(1) Gaps of large extent.— When the 

 removal of damaged plants leaves a 

 very big gap, it is advisable to plant 

 not merely a temporary but also a 

 robust species with light shade in 

 order to allow the reconstitution of 

 the original species (oak, hornbeam, 

 maple, ash, fir, etc. ) The majority 

 of pines fulfil these requirements, 

 the Austrian pine is particularly 

 adapted to a thin chalk soil; in sandy 

 soil, on the other hand, Scots Pine 

 does best; Pinus Banksiana Lamb, 

 in spite of the small value of its wood 

 is also recommended on account of 

 its great hardiness which favours a 

 quick recovery. As these species all 

 require light, the plantations must 

 be fairly thin, the trees 5 to 10 feet 

 apart. 



Clearings must then be made in 

 succession and in this way, while 

 obtaining an easily marketable pro- 



duct, the forest will eventually be 

 completely reconstructed and render- 

 ed capable of again yielding market- 

 able timber in its turn. 



(2) Gaps of verij small extent. — 

 When the gap left by the removal of 

 the plants is not above twice the 

 height of the surrounding trees in 

 size, the use of pines, which recjuire 

 a particularly large clearing, is not 

 possible. However, as the object 

 is to plant trees capable of early 

 utilisation, there are other species 

 of conifers answering to this require- 

 ment, and among these the fir and 

 spruce are preferable. Though they 

 give a very thick shade, the pyramidal 

 shape of their summits will give the 

 minimum of inconvenience to the 

 surrounding trees, especially to the 

 deciduous species. The fir is most 

 advisable from the cultural point of 

 view and the spruce from the com- 

 mercial standpoint. At the same 

 time, this would be the best way to 

 establish the fir in forests of deciduous 

 trees and could only add to the value 

 of the forest as a whole. 



Forest Exhaustion a Peril to Canada 



By Hon. W. C. Edwards, 

 in an address in the senate. 



An Outspoken Warning Against the Illusion 

 of Inexhaustible Timber. 



"Now I am coming to a subject on 

 which I shall not have sympathy in 

 this Chamber and shall have com- 

 paratively few supporters in Canada. 

 There are some men in Canada who 

 have thought as much as 1 have on 

 the climate conditions of Canada, 

 her geographical construction, and 

 her possibilities. You will be some- 

 what astonished, honourable gentle- 

 men, at the statement I am about to 

 make. I know of no other public 

 man in Canada who would make 

 such a statement. Not since Con- 

 federation has any public man made 

 such a statement, but the reverse. 



On all our public platforms, in all 

 our legislative halls, the statement 

 has been continually made that Can- 

 ada is a country abounding in a 

 variety of natural resources which are 

 of enormous value and inexhaustible. 

 In my opinion this attitude has been 

 more or less misleading and hurtful 

 to Canada, giving her people an ex- 

 aggerated idea as to her possibilities. 

 Not only has Canada the disabilities 

 due to her climatic condition and her 

 geographical conformation, but she 

 is not a country possessed of num- 

 erous natural resources. I make the 

 statement advisedly, and I think I 



