136 COMMISSION OF CONSERVATION 



Thus there are being created in the neighbourhood of each village 

 little forests aggregating from 2,000 to 15,000 acres, more or less in 

 blocks, where the farmers can cut each year enough timber for their 

 real wants. 



There are now eight such reserves established covering 125,000 

 acres and plans have been made to establish twelve more, which will 

 bring the area under township reserves to over 2 50,000 acres. Three 

 were under operation in 191 2 and produced good results. This year 

 the Department will begin to make an inventory of at least 5 of these, 

 so as to prepare a working plan for each. 



It is the intention to establish each reserve upon a sotmd basis 

 by building a good system of roads and trails, by providing it with a 

 main system of telephone lines, observation towers, and houses for the 

 wardens. The parts denuded will be reforested, but not immediately. 

 The reproduction is so good in Quebec that wherever fire can be kept 

 from reappearing periodically, the land will soon be clothed with some 

 kind of forest growth, generally birch and aspen. The present plan 

 is to allow this first covering to establish itself, help it in certain cases, 

 then introduce plants of more desirable species, in openings made 

 artificially or naturally. 



II. Planting by the Laurentide Company* 



The Laurentide Company of Grand'Mere, Quebec, has been ex- 

 f>erimenting for the past five years in planting trees and has now over 

 fifty acres planted in different locations and under different conditions. 

 There are Scotch, white and jack pine, nine years old ; the Scotch 

 pine between five and six feet high, and the jack pine five to eight 

 feet high ; the white pine has not done so well and ranges from three to 

 four feet. Plantations of white and Norway spruce have been made 

 in the open and also under old hardwoods, so that the results may be 

 studied. 



A nursery has also been started and has the following growing 

 stock : 



11,000 3 year Norway spruce 



1,000 2 year " " 



25,000 I year " " 



20,000 I year red pine 

 5,000 I year white pine 

 5,000 I year jack pine 



*Prepared by Ellwood Wilson, Forester for the Laurentide Co., Ltd. 



