16 THE CANADIAN FORESTEr's 



victim is the careless settler himself; then comes the turn 

 of the ancient trees which, one after the other, lose their 

 leaves and branches, and remain naked, blackened, 

 hideous, in the desert prepared by the improvidence of 

 man. The passing traveller is horrified at the sight of a 

 waste, where once stood a luxuriant forest. 



My readers know well that what I have just described 

 happens every year in one or more parts of the province. 

 I have described, above, the means government should 

 use to stop this evil. But the remedy is valuable in 

 proportion to the way in which the settlers themselves 

 aid in its administration. Vhy do they not determine 

 for themselves never to burn without using all possible 

 precaution, and at a season of the year when it would 

 not be dangerous to the lorest. "What is a month's delay, 

 compared with the damage caused by a fire blazing 

 away at an improper season ? 



So much for fires. A word, now, as to the reserve of 

 wood I wish to see made by each -settler. Can a law be 

 necessary to secure this reserve ? Eeflection alone, it 

 seems to me, should be enough to induce every settler 

 to keep part of his land uncleared. He, too often, comes 

 from an old parish, where the inhabitants have been 

 accustomed to go nine, twelve, even fifteen miles for 

 their fire- wood, and even further for their lumber. 

 The settler in question has himself done it. And 

 now, right in the bush itself, he forg-ets it all, he sees 

 only the laud he is about clearing, and reflects not that 

 the parish he has left was once in the forest, though to 

 day it is miles away from it. It is time to put a stop to 

 such folly as this. Let every one who takes up a lot of 

 land look out for the worst part of it, and keep it un- 

 touched by axe or fire. The value of the reserve will in 

 a few years double the value of the whole lot. 



