CANADIAN FORESTRY ASSOCIATION 19 



farmers of these eastern provinces look upon the tree as their natural 

 enemy. The tree, in the field cultivated for ordinary crops, is undoubtedly 

 a difficulty, and an obstruction, and interferes to that extent with the 

 agricultural operations of the land. In the old days as our farmers and settlers 

 were obliged to go to the woodlands of the eastern provinces, they could not make 

 a farm without cutting down the trees, but unfortunately the spirit that imbued the 

 them with the idea that the tree was a natural enemy to agriculture, still seems to 

 possess a majority of their descendants, and to-day there are few farmers in these 

 eastern provinces who realise that large bodies of woodlands are the best 

 friends of agriculture in the eastern provinces, as everywhere else. 



The eastern people therefore can hardly realise or understand the necessities 

 of the western farmer on the great untreed plains of our prairie provinces for plant- 

 ing. Mgr. Bruchesi has instanced one of the most successful experiments in 

 planting on record, even in this forest province of Quebec. If they had an oppor- 

 tunity of examining that Oka plantation and let me say regarding that, just as 

 in many other things quite apart from the religious aspect of the question, that the 

 Roman Catholic Church has taken the lead in this country and given us an example 

 which should be followed by the whole land I am sure that the farmers of the 

 older part of this province would receive a very useful lesson as to the necessities 

 and advantages of re-afforestation. 



You know, sir, that in the original discoveries of this part of North America, 

 the Missionaries of the Church carried the cross into the forests, over the plains and 

 up the rivers. We know later on that the same Church glorified by the blood of 

 its Martyrs carried the progress of settlement in our land and over our continent. 

 But we know to-day that just as the Missionaire Agricole, many of whom I know 

 well and have met in my work, is doing to-day for the farmers of the eastern prov- 

 inces, the same work of preaching the gospel of agriculture that in the past days the 

 spiritual missionaries did for the souls of their charges. And, sir, I hope in the future 

 to see the Missionaire Agricole succeeded by the Missionaire Forestiere, and I am glad 

 to see from what I have heard to-day from Archbishop Bruchesi, that in this as in 

 the other two branches, the Roman Catholic Church will again take the lead and be 

 in the forefront of this forestry work in Canada. I am thankful to find Archbishop 

 Bruchesi present at this meeting to give us words of encouragement and knowledge 

 on this subject, and to tell us what advance and progress has been made under the 

 lead of his Church, which has set an example in this Province of Quebec, that may 

 well be emulated throughout the Dominion. 



That is an unusual thing in the Province of Quebec, but in the great West, 

 my friend Mr. Sifton, then Minister of the Interior, having dwelt in the treeless 

 prairie country, appreciated and understood years ago that the planting of trees 

 there for wind breaks, and to conserve the moisture necessary for the good growth 

 of crops in that region, in order to help the settlers through the prairies, established 



