country possessing greater physical dis^.inctions 

 than Canada. The conditions are so various as 

 aflfected by climate, altitude, latitude, aspect, 

 soil, sea or lake neighborhood and vegetation, 

 that no possible number of observations in any 

 length of time could say how much for one 

 district or so much for another. However, men 

 do come to realize through science and practice 

 — practice espeaially — that a farm or district 

 needs the protection in certain places, and thus 

 a country could easily be reclothed to the extent 

 required for such shelter, if not for regulation 

 of climate and other considerations', to which 

 we will soon refer. The point then of immediate 

 sheltir is within everybody's knowledge, and 

 needs no scientific guidance, and I may here say 

 no governmental spurring. But the greater fieltl 

 of climate as an unknown one practically in this 

 relation, is more a national problem, and still 

 very much a scientific inquiry, and what it will 

 have to say in regard to the proportion of trees 

 to farm crops no one can tell. Of course if men 

 disregard everything but the direct profits from 

 trees as a crop upon land, another century may 

 actually find some countries going back to the 

 days of too many leaves and too little arable. 

 Viewing trees in all their re'ations I am of 

 opinion that upon an average of conditions in 

 Canada, one-fourth of the surface should be 

 covered by them, and as this is just one-half of 

 what we have at present all over the forest dis 

 tricts, there rests the apparent inconsistency of 

 wanting to conserve and replant all the while 

 that we possess double what is required. This 

 brings out the fact that it is the irregular dis- 

 tribution of tree surface in our case which gives 

 trouble, — that some parts have more than re- 

 quired, and others have been overcleared. 



As the subject grows upon our attention, we 

 are next concerned i/ith what parts of the 

 country should be conserved or replanted, and 

 in th 8 part of the study it is obvious that our 

 views cannot be confined to single farms or even 

 special sections. Referring as we must to the 

 great overruling influences, as previously indi- 

 cated, we have to deal with geographical features 

 that may embrace thousands of acres 

 that h*ve to be subserved with one or more 

 massing of trees. Just where to conserve or 

 replant, how much on the spot or spots, so as to 

 gather and dispense all the virtues that trees are 

 known to possess, is the great problem of the 



future. To say that we should only replant our 

 less valuable soils is nonsence, though apparent- 

 ly sensible enough from an agricultural stand- 

 I)oint ; that hi;(h lands should be conserved or 

 reclad as against lower parts is largely true, 

 though not generally applicable, and that 

 conserving and replanting must go hand in 

 hand and take place anywhere as found best 

 through exi)erience, is correct in every sense. 



Following this view of the subject there is 

 naturally that of suitability of certain kinds of 

 trees for special purposes. We have soils and 

 climates wherewith to do almost anything in 

 tree life from the pine of the far north, which 

 luxuriates in an apparently bare rock cleft, to 

 the walnut of the south, that must send its 

 carroty root several feet into a rich soil. The 

 preparation of the soil, methods of planting, in- 

 cluding fencing, draining, knowledge of enemies 

 and friends in nature, and all the management 

 throughout, in order to attain the highest 

 results are not for our time on this occasion. 



In connection with this branch of the subject, 

 however, allow me to present to the Association 

 some copies of a list of trees which I use in 

 teaching at our College, and classified similarly 

 to those in Loudon's work. 



And now for the more special purpose of 

 these notes, — and in order to place myself prop- 

 erly with the Association, it is fair, as a matter 

 of business, to note that what I am advancing 

 is founded on British experience, beginning in 

 18.54 and ending 1870, during which time I had 

 the immediate control of the formation, the 

 planting, and subsequent management of some- 

 thing like twenty one millions of trees, prin- 

 cipally on the Seafield estates, in Banff and 

 Invernesshire, and the Invercauld estates in 

 Aberdeenshire. 



In order to success anywhere there must be 

 put in operation, upon a system, such a combin- 

 ation of the scientific and practical knowledge 

 that at present exists as shall most likely bring 

 about the fullest realization of tree value. That 

 system is universal m its application, however 

 small or large the scale, or however varied the 

 conditions. Whether we pull down or rebuild, 

 or make entirely new, the system will apply, 

 and as it is by entirely new work that any sys- 

 tem is best exhibited I will ask you to go with 

 me to the Prairie, The subject then is almost 



