62 NEW BRUNSWICK FORESTRY CONVENTION 



for timber growth is, to my mind, one of the greatest needs in our forests 

 today. I have reference to lands at present only in the vicinity of settle- 

 ments. Such an undertaking would, no doubt, involve a large expenditure. 

 Only persons should be employed for this work whose judgment could be re- 

 lied upon, as thoroughly competent in judging the soils. Following this up 

 with a corps of competent forest rangers, for keeping down fires and super- 

 vising the catting is the first essential to the preservation of our forests. 



PRIVATE OWNERSHIP OF LANDS. 



Of the lands that have passed from the Crown I will only deal with 

 three of the largest tracts. The Grant to the New Brunswick Railway, for 

 building a narrow guage railway from Fredericton to Edmundston, a dis- 

 tance of 167 miles, was 1,647,772 acres, and embraces lands principally ori 

 waters tributary to the River St. John, and including parts of the Counties 

 of York, Carleton, Victoria and Madawaska. 



Mr. W. T. Whitehead. the Company's agent, has given me the following 

 estimate of the quantity of lumber on these lands : 



Spruce 3.014 Millions S. Ft. 



Fir 3,014 



Hardwood 4,743 " 



Cedar 406 



Total 11,177 



Of this large tract, the Company has sold only 600 acres. Fully one- 

 third is situate on the Upper Silurian formation, representing some of the 

 best settling lauds in the Province, but the policy of the Company is not to 

 sell any for farming purposes, and the progress of that section of the Province 

 is consequently retarded. 



It has been proposed that the Government should buy back the 

 settling portion of these lands, which, if accomplished at a reasonable price, 

 would, in the opinion of those who have studied the question, be productive 

 of great results. 



The next largest ownership is that of the Alexander Gibson Company, 

 who holds the fee simple of upwards of 225,000 acres, located principally on 

 the Nashwaak River, and absolutely controlling the lumber lands on that 



