14 



Canadian Forestry Journal, January, 1914. 



•wooded; and the farmer who cultivates a 

 few acres of trees in the form of wind- 

 breaks and shelter belts will be in harmony 

 with nature and enhance the picturesque 

 beauty of the landscape, the value of which 

 -will increase with age. In Northwestern 

 Manitoba since these bluffs increased and 

 grew up there have been no dry seasons 

 to amount to anything, the fields are shel- 

 tered and the influence of a hot wind, bliz- 

 zard or dust storm is nothing compared with 

 what these are on the treeless prairies. 



The experimental farm at Indian Head 

 is an object lesson for the farmers of the 

 great prairies to copy, and now that mixed 

 farming is preferred, everyone knows the 

 benefit of shade and shelter for stock, and 

 as such a valuable heritage has passed into 

 the hands of the people, without conditions 

 of tree planting, and as there is no clearing 

 to do, the farmer should be more anxious 

 to take advantage of the free distribution 

 of trees by the government and improve 

 the beauty and increase the value of the 

 surroundings. The C. P. E. is also giving 

 valuable prizes for best wind-breaks and 

 shelter belts for lands purchased from the 

 company, and providing one half of the 

 trees free of cost. These wind-breaks and 

 shelter belts might be referred to as re- 

 presenting the wisdom and genius of the 

 great prairies. 



WHY PLANT A TREE? 



Why plant a tree? Because the birds 

 That 'trance the listening air, 



May nest among the rippling leaves 

 And sing your praises there. 



Why plant a tree? Because the beasts, 



As seasons come and go. 

 May shelter underneath the boughs 



And there mute thanks bestow. 



Why plant a tree? Because you may, 



As aging years invade, 

 Eat of its fruit, admire its form. 



Or rest beneath its shade. 



Why plant a tree? Because your son, 



And his son's son again. 

 For this alone in future years 



May rise and bless your name. 



OTTAWA RIVER CONSERVATION. 



This is the first fall that the two conser- 

 vation dams of the Upper Ottawa have 

 been working to their full capacity and 

 consequently there will be a great deal of 

 interest particularly among power owners 

 concerning the effect these dams will have 

 on the volume of water available at the 



Chaudiere. So far it would seem that these 

 (lams are very effective in holding back 

 the water for the low water seasons. This 

 has been a very dry season and conse- 

 quently the amount of water coming down 

 to the Chaudiere would be expected to be 

 very much reduced. However, it has held 

 up remarkably well. At the very low wat- 

 er period a few years ago there were only 

 7,000 cubic feet of water per second flow- 

 ing at the Chaudiere, while now the flow 

 is about 24,000 cubic feet, or over three 

 times as much. The two dams, at Kippewa 

 and at Timiskaming, are both in operation 

 this year. They hold back the water in the 

 wet seasons and let it out in the dry sea- 

 sons in order to keep the level of the river 

 more nearly uniform all year. Then they 

 begin about November to store up water 

 again from the fall rains and let it out 

 during the winter. The Government is 

 now building a third dam at Lake Quinze, 

 which is farther up and will increase the 

 storage capacity considerably. To give an 

 idea of the vast amount of water these 

 dams conserve, it is equal to a body of 

 water with an area of 4,000 square miles 

 and a depth of one foot. Besides making 

 the water higher in the low water periods 

 it will to a certain extent relieve the floods 

 of the spring bv holding back the water. 

 The work has been conducted by the Do- 

 minion Government and will cost about $1,- 

 000,000. — Canadian Engineer. 



TREE SEED NOTES. 



The crop of seeds harvested this season 

 will be about the same as in past years. 

 Some kinds of trees are again producing a 

 good crop of seeds, while others are a fail- 

 ure. 



The Acer saccharinum, sugar maple, has 

 not produced any seed whatever this year, 

 the entire crop having been blasted before 

 maturing. Larix Americana is also a fail- 

 ure. A good crop of cones set last spring 

 but the collectors found upon gathering 

 them that the contents were of poor qual- 

 ity. The seeds did not test over five per 

 cent, of good germinating quality. 



Abies balsamea seed is also a total fail- 

 ure, none of the collectors being able to 

 obtain a single pound of this seed. 



American collectors rei^ort an abundance 

 of 1913 crop of Finns strobus, white pine, 

 and they state that it is of the highest 

 germinating quality. Here is a chance for 

 nurserymen and foresters to replenish their 

 stock of this fine lumber tree. Collectors 

 also report a good crop of Pseudotsuga 

 Douglassi, green variety, and state that 

 the quality is very fine. Finns Banksiana 

 is also producing a good crop. Finns Fal- 

 iistris is now being extracted from the 

 cones and there seems to be a good sup- 

 ply. — National Nursery m an. 



