OPINIONS OF TWONSHIP CLERKS AND REEVES 127 



in adjoining townships, form part of a forest reserve established by the 

 Provincial Government. 



The township of Ashby contains about a similar proportion of 

 land fit for settlement and cultivation to the township of Abinger, 

 but, as it does not belong to any Free Grant District, and the land 

 has to be bought at fifty cents per acre, only about 4,000 acres are 

 occupied. There is some good agricultural land in the centre and north- 

 em portions of the township, which would soon be taken up by settlers if 

 they could get it as Free Grants, but as the areas are isolated and small, 

 in comparison with the area of the surrounding non-agriciiltural lands, 

 in my opinion it would be better not to encourage any more settlers 

 to locate there, but to establish a permanent forest reserve of all Crown 

 Lands within this municipality and adjoining townships ; to increase 

 the precautions for the prevention of forest fires and to assist in reforest- 

 ing these now unproductive areas, and thus provide a perpetual supply of 

 timber for the future. 



Kaladar, Anglesea and Effingham Townships, Lennox 



AND AdDINGTON CoUNTY 



In answer to your enquiry of the 17 th of January, I beg to say 

 that there are about 22,077 acres of land not assessed in the townships 

 of Kaladar ' and Anglesea, which would be mostly lands not fit for 

 agricultural purposes, while the whole of EfiEingham is not assessed at 

 all and would come under the same class of lands. It would be very 

 desirable to have all that waste land re-forested, but would be a very 

 hard task to accomplish as there are always bush fires, the source of 

 which it is always impossible to ascertain, which destroy all the young 

 growth of timber. For instance, three years ago a forest fire, of un- 

 knovsm origin, swept over aU the lands mentioned and completely des- 

 troyed a fine yoiing growth of timber, a great deal of which had already 

 attained commercial value. 



McLean and Ridout Townships, Muskoka District. 

 In reply to your circular letter of the 17th of January. In the 

 united townships of McLean and Ridout, Muskoka district, the asses- 

 sor returns 3 1,53 1 acres of woodland. Generally, the pine, hemlock and 

 floatable timber have been taken off, leaving a scattered hardwood 

 of poor quaHty, birch being the best. Where btimed over, there is 

 frequently a second growth of pine, which grows rapidly, but, unless 

 attention is given to trimming and thinning out, it will not become 

 of much conjmercial value as the tops spread out in many branches 

 without any leading stem. I have several acres of such second growth, 

 cleared about 40 years ago. Some years ago I trimmed a few, which 

 have since grown more shaply. There is said to be 4,000 acres of slash 

 land and 2,600 acres of waste or marsh land. The soil is a rather poor 

 sand and not likely to give very good results from tree planting, unless 

 well cultivated. 



Oakley Township, Muskoka District 

 Yours of January 17th under file No. 33532 received. Re non- 

 agricultural land in the township of Oakley, would say there is about 

 6s per cent of the land in this township unfit for agricultural purposes. 



