FORESTRY. l8l 



CHAPTER XXXVIII. 



FORESTRY. 



THE PRIMEVAL FOREST. What was the appearance of 

 North America four hundred years ago, when it was first 

 discovered by Columbus and by Cabot ? Let us turn to a map 

 of the continent. Along the west coast we have the great 

 mountain ranges, beginning at Alaska and continuing south 

 through Mexico. These were covered with thick forests, in 

 some places the trees being of enormous size. A large portion 

 of this great primeval forest still remains untouched, especially 

 in British Columbia. Then notice the mountain ranges on 

 the eastern side. As they cross into Canada they become 

 lower, branching into two sections, the one going north-east 

 through Labrador and the other north-west through Ontario or 

 off towards Alaska. In between these two branches lies 

 Hudson's Bay. This whole eastern section was covered with 

 a dense forest extending from Florida to the bleak lands of 

 Labrador and away off north-west towards Alaska and the 

 barren lands. It covered all of the Eastern States, the eastern 

 provinces of Canada, all of Quebec and Ontario, and a part of 

 the North-west Territories. Down through the central part of 

 the continent stretched the prairies, treeless except on the hills 

 here and there or along the rivers. 



Much of this original eastern forest has been cut away by 

 settlers or killed by forest fires, but some still remains 

 in the mountainous parts of the Eastern States and in the 

 northern parts of Maine, New Brunswick, Quebec, and Ontario. 



