130 COMMISSION OF CONSERVATION 



possible with the conditions under which we are working to work up a 

 large supply of coniferous trees. 



Forest Reserves. — In the forest reserves only a small beginning 

 has been made in reforestation work, although a little experimentation 

 has been done. On the Spruce Woods Forest Reserve, which is a bare, 

 sandy tract, and on the Turtle Mountain Forest Reserve, which is a 

 fairly heavy clay loam, experiments have been made in seeding, the 

 species used being white spruce, jack pine, and western yellow pine. 

 On the Spruce Woods Forest Reserve the attempts at re-seeding were 

 almost completely a failure, although all methods were tried, except 

 in a few places where there was already some shelter from small bluffs 

 of poplar. On the Turtle Mountain Forest Reserve the seeding in 

 seed spots was, on the whole, a fair success, and we have about an acre 

 fully stocked with Scotch pine and spruce from this seeding experiment 

 on Tiirtle mountain. 



The planting of nursery stock was also tried for several years on 

 the Spruce Woods Forest Reserve, the stock used being Scotch pine. 

 The number of trees planted in this experimental plantation was 

 7S,ooo plants of one and two years old, mostly all two years old. The 

 first plantation of 5,000 was made in 1904 but owing to the carelessness 

 of the ranger in charge these trees were destroyed by fire. Of the re- 

 mainder from 60 to 80 per cent are living, the total of trees now alive 

 being 50,200. This plantation was made in furrows run from east to 

 west, throwing the furrow to the south side, thus giving the small 

 plants shelter from the sun in the morning. This plantation has been 

 successful enough to demonstrate that this method could be used 

 satisfactorily. 



Having come to the conclusion that the only method of reforesting 

 the Spruce Woods Forest Reserve was to replant, and that in conse- 

 quence a nursery shovild be established and extended on the reserve 

 as rapidly as possible, it was arranged to appoint in charge of this work 

 Mr. J. D. Kirkwood, who had had a good training in forest nurseries 

 in Scotland. Mr. Kirkwood has prepared a nursery at Shilo on the 

 west end of the reserve, on a tract which is entirely denuded of trees, 

 and has now a stock of 230,000 trees, consisting of 3,000 three-year olds, 

 7 5, 000 two-year-olds and 152,000 one-year-olds. These trees consist 

 principally of white spruce and jack pine, but there are also experi- 

 mental plots of lodge pole pine, western yellow pine and black spruce. 



On the Turtle Movintain Forest Reserve, 14,000 trees, nearly all 

 Scotch pine, supplied from the forest nursery station at Indian Head, 

 were set out as an experimental plantation, and so far the report is 

 that this plantation is doing satisfactorily. 



