FOREST PLANTING IN CANADA 135 



holdings by paying back the cost of the land and reforestation, together 

 with accrued interest at 4 per cent. The Department, however, 

 guarantees that the total cost to the former owners shall not exceed 

 fio.oo per acre, the surplus, if any, being the contribution of the Govern- 

 ment to the work. 



The work of planting was started in May, 191 2, and 25 acres was 

 reforested to white pine, white spruce, elm and green ash. The 

 sand, while dry at the surface, is moist at a depth of three inches, so 

 that conditions are quite favourable for planting. 



The Department expects to follow a similar course with regard 

 to other areas of sand waste in the Province, particularly around 

 Berthier, Contrecoeur and Tadoussac. It is not the intention that the 

 Department shall reforest all these areas, but the aim is, rather, to 

 demonstrate the possibilities and thus encourage action of a similar 

 nature by private initiative on the part of the land owners. It is 

 hoped that in this way the encroachments of the shifting sands upon 

 agricultural lands will be checked, as has been successfully done in 

 the case of the historic example set by the French Government in the 

 Landes. A part of the plant material in the Berthierville nursery is 

 to be used for distribution among farmers desiring to make plantations 

 on their lands. 



Like the Province of Ontario, Quebec has considerable areas of 

 land which ought never to have been cleared. Some of the lands 

 taken up in the early days have been abandoned because it was im- 

 possible to make a living upon them. In some cases, these lands still 

 have a certain amount of timber left upon them. Other non-agricul- 

 tural lands were never taken up, but were cut-over from time to time, 

 and still remain in the ownership of the Province. To utilize these two 

 classes of lands and to make them contribute to the local public welfare, 

 a plan of township forest reserves has been devised, whereby all such 

 vacant non-agricultural lands in a given township are merged together 

 and withheld from further disposal. 



The farmers or settlers of the surrounding parishes are allowed 

 to cut timber in these reserves on the following terms : Each year 

 only one-twentieth of the area is opened up to them ; no permit can 

 be given for more than 10,000 feet B.M. ; the permittees must cut 

 where and how directed by the warden of the reserve ; they must 

 pay one-half of the dues on taking the permit and the balance when they 

 have cut their timber, which must be pUed and is measured by the war- 

 dens of the Department. The cutting is directed by a diameter limit 

 the same as on Crown Lands, and the dues are fixed at the same 

 rate. 



