.4 Xova Scotia Opportunity. 



115 



uieal kiiowletlgt' of the officers of the 

 F'orestry Hraneh of the Department 

 of the Tnterioi- in tliis matter, as tliis 

 piece of prinu'val Xova Scotia timber 

 is not only well worth preserving from 

 a scenic and historic standpoint, but 

 could also he made of great use as a 

 demonsti-ation station to assist the 

 owners of Nova Scotia timber in hand- 

 ling their forests. 



MAKING THE DESERT BLOSSOM. 



PURE MAPLE SUGAR. 



A member of the Canadian Foi 

 estry Association has called atten 

 tion to the fact that grocers are still 

 selling compound maple syrup aiul 

 sugar, that is, syrup and sugar in 

 which there are other ingredients 

 than the pure product of the nuiple 

 tree. He also states that some of the 

 grocers do not seem to be aware that 

 there has been any change in the law. 

 In reply, it may be stated that the 

 new law, passed last session, does 

 not go into force until January 1, 

 1915. This was done in order that 

 all the old stocks of the compound 

 maple sugar and syrup might be dis- 

 posed of before the explicit provi- 

 sions of the new laW' went into force. 

 After the new year it will be Avell 

 for our members to take note of this 

 fact, and in case of infraction of the 

 law call attention to the severe 

 penalties. In Canada, for some years, 

 it has been possible to get butter 

 and honey without any fear that a 

 compoimd article was being sold un- 

 der these names, and there is no rea- 

 son why there should not be the same 

 safeguard in the case of maple syrup 

 and sugar. 



THE FOOL WITH AN AXE. 



Farm Journal. 



It took old Nature some fifty years 

 To give a tree its majesty and power, 

 And now some fool with an axe ap- 

 pears 

 And cuts it down in a short half hour. 



All of us romeiiil)er seeing pictiires of 

 the (k'sort of the Laiules in France, with 

 the san>l diine.s intersperseil with marshes 

 and shejiherds goinjj alioiit on stilts. Lamles 

 still e.\ists, ))ut through the energy of the 

 French forest service the desert has been 

 aliolished and the district turned into a pro- 

 ductive part of France. Though Mr. H. II. 

 Cainpliell, Dominion Director of Forestry, 

 was not able to complete his projected tour 

 of Furopean forests, he was able to visit 

 southwestern France to see the district of 

 the Landes. The country a century ago con- 

 sisted of sand dunes for a long distance 

 back from the sea with marshes lying be- 

 tween the dunes. Seventy-five years ago 

 the French Government began to reforest 

 this district. To-day it is covered with 

 timber in all stages of growth, and while 

 it was originally planted, reforestation is 

 now secured by natural regeneration by fol- 

 lowing good cutting methods. The exposure 

 to wind is too great to permit the growth 

 of trees on the dune nearest the sea and this 

 is covered with beach grass to hold the 

 sand. The next row of dunes is covered 

 with trees .stunted and lient inland l>y the 

 wind, but inland from that good straight 

 tindier is grown. The outer dunes are never 

 deforested but inland clean cutting is prac- 

 tised. The prevailing tree is the maritime 

 pine. The fixing of the sands has allowed 

 agriculture to be carried on where previously 

 it was impossible. As an evidence of in- 

 creased prosperity caused by the foresting 

 of the country Mr. Campbell noteil one 

 parish among others, which before jdanting 

 began had a jiopulation of 1,000 and which 

 now has a j)Opnlation of 14,000. The i)ic- 

 turesque shepherds on stilts have disappear- 

 ed, but forests and prosperity have come in 

 their place. 



The Lan<l and Forest Department of Ire- 

 land has applied to the Chief Forester of 

 British Columbia for seed of British Colum- 

 bia fir and spruce. These will be used in 

 reforestation work in Ireland. 



Jack pine trees planted ten years ago in 

 the sand hills of Nebraska are now large 

 enough to produce fence posts. Last year 

 the first seed was gathered from this plan- 

 tation. 



The Xew York state forest nurseries 

 have a capacity of twenty-eight million 

 young trees a year. 



