22 THE CANADIAN FORESTERS 



CHAPTER III. 



DUTIES OF AGRICULTURAL CLUBS AND SOCIETIES AS REGARDS 

 THE RESTORATION OP THE FORESTS. 



In the foregoing chapter, I quoted the example of a 

 horticultural society (that of the county of L' Islet, in the 

 province of Quebec) as one worthy of being followed by 

 the different provincial governments of the Dominion. 



I would propose the same thing to all the agricultural 

 clubs and societies, of whatever sort, which exist in the 

 confederation. Even if the governments themselves do ^ 

 not take the initiative, the societies ought, for the pure 

 sake of promoting the interests of agriculture, to under- 

 take with heartfelt earnestness the work of the restoration 

 of the forests. 



Local societies, the agricultural societies of the pro- 

 vince of Quebec, for example, might offer prizes for w^ork 

 of this description done in their respective neighbour- 

 hoods ; and, then, those who had won first prizes would, 

 doubtless, compete for the prizes offered by the county 

 societies, and thus, a noble emulation would be excited 

 among the farmers, not of each locality only, but also of 

 each county. 



The societies w^ould appoint a committee of judges in 

 each county, the members of which committee, w^ould 

 be charged with the duty of visiting the forest-lands 

 which had been improved or planted by the competitors, 

 and, after inspection, they would make their report to 

 the societies. 



All those interested in these competitions would be- 

 come, ipso facto, members of the forestry associations. 

 They would receive advice from them, and follow out 

 their regulations. Thus the societies would grow con- 



