﻿CHARACTERISTICS 
  OF 
  THE 
  PERMANENT 
  REGIOX. 
  275 
  

  

  never 
  troubled 
  with 
  this 
  grievous 
  pest, 
  have 
  not, 
  and 
  cannot 
  well 
  have, 
  

  

  any 
  just 
  conception 
  of 
  the 
  magnitude 
  of 
  its 
  devastations, 
  and 
  arc 
  con- 
  

   sequently 
  without 
  due 
  appreciation 
  of 
  the 
  importance 
  of 
  the 
  subject." 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  with 
  a 
  view 
  of 
  ascertaining 
  the 
  feasibility 
  and 
  practicability 
  of 
  

   the 
  last 
  three 
  methods 
  there 
  referred 
  to 
  that 
  we 
  have 
  endeavored 
  to 
  gel 
  

   more 
  accurate 
  knowledge 
  of 
  the 
  limits 
  and 
  character 
  of 
  the 
  Permanent 
  

   breeding-grounds, 
  whence 
  the 
  destructive 
  swarms 
  emanate, 
  so 
  as 
  to 
  

   place 
  facts 
  rather 
  than 
  surmises 
  before 
  our 
  readers. 
  In 
  this 
  attempt 
  

   we 
  have 
  been 
  made 
  fully 
  aware 
  of 
  the 
  difficulties 
  which 
  the 
  problem 
  

   presents, 
  and 
  to 
  modify 
  somewhat 
  the 
  views 
  previously 
  expressed 
  ; 
  but 
  

   while 
  the 
  difficulties 
  in 
  some 
  portions 
  of 
  the 
  country 
  are 
  practically 
  in- 
  

   surmountable, 
  yet, 
  for 
  a 
  large 
  x^ortion 
  of 
  the 
  country 
  affected, 
  especially 
  

   the 
  vast 
  plains 
  and 
  prairie 
  regions 
  between 
  the 
  mountains 
  on 
  the 
  one 
  

   hand 
  and 
  the 
  Mississippi 
  and 
  ]Sorth 
  Saskatchewan 
  on 
  the 
  other, 
  it 
  is 
  

   within 
  man's 
  power 
  largely 
  to 
  avoid 
  in 
  the 
  future 
  the 
  immense 
  losses 
  that 
  

   have 
  hitherto 
  been 
  sustained. 
  The 
  destruction 
  of 
  the 
  eggs 
  by 
  plowing 
  

   or 
  harrowing 
  may 
  be 
  advantageously 
  carried 
  on 
  and 
  stimulated 
  by 
  boun- 
  

   ties 
  in 
  exceptional 
  cases, 
  especially 
  in 
  the 
  Sub-permanent 
  region, 
  but 
  does 
  

   not 
  admit 
  of 
  any 
  general 
  carrying 
  out 
  on 
  a 
  large 
  scale,* 
  so 
  that 
  we 
  need 
  

   add 
  nothing 
  further 
  here 
  beyond 
  what 
  has 
  been 
  said 
  on 
  this 
  score 
  in 
  

   Chapter 
  II 
  (pp. 
  25, 
  2G, 
  30), 
  to 
  which 
  the 
  present 
  chapter 
  is 
  largely 
  sup- 
  

   plementary. 
  

  

  In 
  what 
  way, 
  then, 
  can 
  the 
  national 
  government 
  help 
  to 
  bring 
  about 
  

   the 
  desired 
  result? 
  There 
  are, 
  it 
  seems 
  to 
  us, 
  seven 
  ways 
  in 
  which 
  

   government 
  action 
  is 
  possible, 
  viz 
  : 
  1. 
  By 
  encouraging 
  settlement 
  • 
  2. 
  By 
  

   encouraging 
  the 
  building 
  of 
  railroads 
  ; 
  3. 
  By 
  broad 
  schemes 
  of 
  irriga- 
  

   tion 
  ; 
  4. 
  By 
  guarding 
  the 
  present 
  timber 
  and 
  encouraging 
  the 
  planting 
  

   of 
  forests; 
  5. 
  By 
  judicious 
  burning; 
  G. 
  By 
  a 
  permanent 
  system 
  of 
  obser- 
  

   vations 
  and 
  warnings 
  ; 
  7. 
  By 
  co-operation 
  with 
  the 
  Dominion 
  Govern- 
  

   ment 
  in 
  these 
  various 
  measures. 
  

  

  SURFACE 
  CHARACTERISTICS 
  OF 
  THE 
  PERMANENT 
  REGION 
  AND 
  THE 
  

   PROPORTION 
  OF 
  LAND 
  IN 
  IT 
  UPON 
  WHICH 
  THE 
  VEGETATION 
  IS 
  

   SUSCEPTIBLE 
  OF 
  BEING 
  BURNED. 
  

  

  A 
  consideration 
  of 
  the 
  surface 
  characteristics 
  of 
  this 
  Western 
  country, 
  

   including 
  soil 
  and 
  vegetation, 
  will 
  greatly 
  help 
  to 
  intelligent 
  discussion 
  of 
  

   either 
  of 
  the 
  above 
  propositions, 
  and 
  particularly 
  of 
  the 
  fourth. 
  To 
  this 
  

   end 
  we 
  have 
  had 
  prepared, 
  in 
  six 
  separate 
  parts, 
  the 
  large 
  map 
  (I) 
  which 
  

   indicates, 
  as 
  fully 
  as 
  present 
  knowledge 
  permits, 
  the 
  character 
  of 
  the 
  

   vegetation 
  in 
  the 
  region 
  in 
  question, 
  and 
  more 
  particularly 
  that 
  which 
  is 
  

   sufficiently 
  dense 
  and 
  luxuriant 
  to 
  permit 
  of 
  being 
  burned 
  over. 
  The 
  

   dividing 
  lines 
  between 
  the 
  probable 
  breeding-grounds 
  and 
  the 
  land 
  that 
  

   is 
  grass-covered, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  those 
  between 
  this 
  last, 
  the 
  semi-desert 
  and 
  

   the 
  desert 
  land 
  must 
  needs, 
  in 
  many 
  cases, 
  be 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  arbitrary 
  as 
  

   they 
  shade 
  into 
  each 
  other, 
  and 
  the 
  map 
  cannot, 
  even 
  in 
  those 
  parts 
  

   where 
  every 
  mile 
  is 
  familiar 
  to 
  us, 
  be 
  more 
  than 
  approximately 
  correct. 
  

  

  