10 THE CANADIAN FORESTER'S 



brushwood, the remains of former clearances, and as dry as 

 tinder,which offers but too ready a chance for the reception 

 of a spark from the pipe or half extinguished match of 

 .the careless tramp. ' 



"Who would not be moved at such a sight ? Could the 

 force of human negligence go further ? What, because 

 we are suiTounded on all sides by forests, because these"* 

 forests hinder the cultivation of the land, because we 

 possess thousands upon thousands of acres of woodlands, 

 must we for such reasons as these burn and destroy the 

 whole ? If a rich man were to fling his money out of 

 the window, as has sometimes been heard of, what 

 should we predict ? "Would not every one say that, 

 before long, he would be begging his bread? The same 

 sad fate might well be prophesied of the nation, which, 

 because it possesses the finest forests in the world, 

 destroys them from a deliberate purpose. 



As every body is interested in this question, let us 

 see what duty each has to perform who would aid in 

 the preservation of our woodlands. The government 

 should be the first to put its hand to the plough ; then 

 the limit-owners ; the wood-dealers, &c. ; next the 

 settlers ; and, lastly, tourists, anglers, hunters, and all 

 who frequent the forests during the course of the 

 year. (1) 



(1) To hunt, in England, means to pursue the stag, the fox, the otter 

 or tlie hare, with hounds. The idea of a gun is utterly excluded. 



