Canadian Forestry Journal, October, 191', 



1335 



for this purpose had estabhshed a 

 large nursery in connection with the 

 grounds of the Mental Diseases Hos- 

 pital at r^ssondale, adjoining the 

 Government farm. As in other places 

 so it was found here that this horti- 

 cultural work and the new and health- 

 ful interests associating with it had 

 a most benehcial effect on the men 

 engaging in it. On the other hand, 

 it made possible the production of 

 large cjuantities of valuable trees 

 and ornamental shrubs at a very low 

 cost. 



"In the fall of 1914 it was found 

 that the supply of nursery stock on 

 hand was more than sufficient to 

 meet the needs of grounds in con- 

 nection with provincial public build- 

 ings, and it was decided to make 

 donations to school boards entering 

 into an agreement with the Depart- 

 ment of Education. This agreement 

 provided for the complete planning, 

 grading, draining, surfacing and 

 planting of the school grounds, and 

 was included as part of the work of 

 the Director of Elementary Agri- 

 cultural Education. In two years 

 in the neighbourhood of sixty school 

 grounds have been planned and most 

 of the improvements carried out, in- 

 cluding the planting of native trees 

 as well as many beautiful horticultur- 

 al varieties supplied from the schools' 



department of the Provincial Govern- 

 ment nurseries. 



"As it takes from five to ten years 

 to raise most varieties of trees to a 

 size fit for permanent planting, a 

 movement was made in the spring 

 of 1915 to provide for larger future 

 demands by starting many of the 

 best varieties of Canadian trees from 

 seed, and also in 1916 by purchasing 

 at a very low cost several thousand 

 three and four-year seedlings which 

 were set in the nursery and will be 

 available for distribution from year 

 to year whilst the younger seedlings 

 are coming on, 



"It is the intention of the Depart- 

 ment to give more attention in future 

 to the propagation of the best trees 

 and shrubs which are native to British 

 Columbia, not only in the provincial 

 schools' nursery at Essondale, but 

 also in others parts of the province. 

 To this end a campaign has been 

 started in the schools of the province 

 with a view to interesting the teach- 

 ers and pupils in the flora of their 

 own respective districts. Teachers 

 conducting school gardens are asked 

 to include in each garden a forestry 

 plot or bed for the propagation of 

 native species from seeds and cut- 

 tings. During the past year some 

 schools have done excellent work 

 along this line.^|Tn this way it is 



Pictures by Courtesy Agricultural Gazette 

 British Columbia's tree nursery raises some choice evergreens for planting about the schools. 



