THE SPRUCE INVESTIGATION. 2*25 



how may present losses from insects, fire, and other causes be 

 prevented, and how can the loss of these forests be best re- 

 paired? 



AGRICULTl KAL INPLVRNOES. 



The high altitude and rough character of the land of a large 

 portion of the mountain regions of the spruce area is such that 

 it cannot be used in agrirultural pursuits for much else than 

 pasture for sheep and cattle. There is, as previously stated, 

 large sections already utilized lor this purpose, and when we 

 take into consideration that much of the uncleared or forest 

 land will be admirably suited to grass and to pasture ranges 

 when the timber is removed, it is evident that as the timber is 

 removed by the lumberman, and the fire cleans up the rubbish 

 and destroys the underbrush, the pasture area will rapidly in- 

 crease and finally cover a large portion of the land included in 

 the spruce belt. If so, this will have a marked influence in 

 preventing a second growth of spruce upon all of the best land, 

 and in restricting the forests of this timber to extremely nar- 

 row bounds. 



If these pasture areas are properly utilized and cared for, it 

 will, in a measure, compensate for the loss to the State ot the 

 forest wealth that is removed, since Inequality of mutton these 

 mountain pastures are capable of producing, should make the 

 breeding and rearing of mutton sheep a leading industry and 

 be a perpetual source of wealth to the owners of the land, as 

 well ns to the State, and to a limited extent and under proper 

 management it will do so. But in this process of converting 

 the good land into pasture and the attending consequences re- 

 sulting from the destruction of young second growth spruce and 

 other valuable trees, by sheep and cattle, which, together with 

 the rocky slopes and entire mountains which have been con- 

 verted into barren wastes by lire and water after the timber 

 was removed, there is great danger of serious consequences 

 to the entire region. 



This extensive removal of the forest, and with it its pro- 

 tective influences and resulting exposures of such large pro- 



