86 



Canadian Forestry Journal, August-September, 1914 



have his hands full for several years 

 to come. This will probably be the 

 first work of the provincial forester 

 when he is appointed. 



Nothing has yet been said of the 

 opportunity for the highest utiliza- 

 tion of some kinds of timber in 

 wooden ship building, which business 

 has revived since the crash that fol- 

 lowed the introduction of iron ships, 

 and which seems destined to continue 

 indefinitely in the construction of 

 certain classes of vessels. Nor has 

 anything been said of the particularly 

 favorable position in which Nova 

 Scotia stands in regard to export 

 trade, both to Europe and to South 

 America. Nova Scotia is a small 

 province. Her timber has been heav- 

 ily cut into, and still more heavily 

 burned over, but much of the land is 

 suited to the growing of timber, much 

 of it is covered with woods of some 

 kind, and timber reproduces readily 

 and grows rapidly in the province. 

 She has a number of native industries 

 dependent upon wood, and she has 

 great opportunities for export. All 

 of which shows that action now will 

 result in great advantage to the prov- 

 ince in the near future and for all 

 time to come. These are some of the 

 reasons that induced the Nova Scotia 

 Government and the lumber interests 

 to invite the Canadian Forestry As- 

 sociation to hold a convention in the 

 province. There are other aspects of 

 this most interesting situation, and 

 these will be discussed in future is- 

 sues. 



TAMARACK IN CAPE BRETON, NOVA 

 SCOTIA. 



Canadians Honored. 



Mr. J. B. White, manager of the woods 

 department and sawmills of the Eiordon 

 Pulp and Paper Company, has been ap- 

 pointed a member of the Forestry Com- 

 mittee of the American National Whole- 

 sale Lumber Dealers' Association for the 

 ensuing year. The other Canadian mem- 

 ber appointed to this committee is Mr. 

 John S. Gillies, of the Gillies Lumber 

 Company, of Braeside, Out. 



When traveling in eastern Nova Scotia 

 this summer, the Secretary heard a great 

 deal of the pit prop question, which will 

 be more fully gone into in the future. 

 One of the members of the Canadian 

 Forestry Association there, who is pur- 

 chasing agent for one of the large mines, 

 has given this matter much attention. 

 This is just another proof of how this 

 question of forest conservation affects 

 every industry in Canada, and directly or 

 indirectly every citizen. This gentleman 

 stated that the mines of Cape Breton use 

 annually about fourteen million feet of 

 mine timber, and in the whole of Nova 

 Scotia about twenty-two million feet are 

 used for mining annually. The pit props 

 used in Cape Breton mines every year 

 would, if placed from end to end, reach 

 2,300 miles, or nearly from Sydney to Ire- 

 land. This gentleman had made observa- 

 tions regarding the recovery of the tama- 

 rack after the attack by the larch sawfly, 

 which, in 1885-6, killed all the mature 

 tamarack from Sydney to Winnipeg. In 

 this connection he said: — 



*In passing over eastern Nova Scotia 

 and Cape Breton, one cannot fail to notice 

 the great growth of tamarack (so-called 

 juniper) coming up all over the country. 

 It is to be wondered if the people appre- 

 ciate the valuable asset they have in this 

 wood. Originally tamarack was well dis- 

 tributed, and was largely used for ship 

 and boat building, also for frames of 

 buildings, fence posts, etc., its lasting 

 qualities adding greatly to its value. In 

 1885 a pest of caterpillars (the larch saw- 

 fly) p'assed over the country, and they 

 seemed to have a particular fondness for 

 the tamarack, for several years after 

 scarcely a young tree could be found alive, 

 but within the past ten or fourteen years 

 it appears to have recovered, and now a 

 strong growth is coming up. Owing to 

 the thickness of this growth, the trees, to 

 be of any value in the near future, should 

 be thinned out. At least four out of every 

 five of the young trees should be cut down 

 to give the fifth a chance to grow. For 

 railway ties, mine props and ties, and 

 many of the uses to which our native 

 woods are put, the tamarack is the most 

 valuable. It would, therefore, appear to 

 be the opportunity and duty of people 

 having the same on their lands to en- 

 courage its rapid growth in every way 

 possible. ' 



A NATIONAL WORK. 



A western man writes: 'I think your 

 idea of a national organization is a splen- 

 did method of awakening public interest in 

 forest protection.' 



