SUDBURY— PORT ARTHUR DISTRICT 159 



Here again the amount of land stdted to agricultural use is negli- 

 gible, though settlers are found scattered as far north as Wa Bos town- 

 ship. 



SUMMARY 



The whole territory south of the Clay Belt lying between the 

 Timagami and Nipigon reserves is one pre-eminently suited for 

 creating a forest reserve to be managed on forestry principles, the north- 

 em part for its spruce and jack pine, the southern part for the white 

 pine reproduction. Of the forest reservations in existence, Timagami 

 (5,900 square miles) and Mississaga (3,000 square miles) have been set 

 aside to conserve the white pine, and Nipigon (7,300 square miles) 

 mainly on accovmt of the spruce pulpwood. The agricultural areas 

 within this whole territory are practically negligible, the land being 

 absolute forest soil ; and settlement so far very slight. Outside of the 

 townships l3ring between Sudbury and the Sault, the 81 townships along 

 the Algoma Central, 96 square rmles along the Black river near Heron 

 bay, and some 3,000 square rmles of the headwaters of the Spanish 

 river practically all is unlicensed. The land is fit only for growing 

 trees, and while it may be claimed that there are vast quantities of spruce 

 north of the Height of Land the commercial quantity is largely on agri- 

 cultural soil from which it wiU be removed once and for aU. The 

 jack pine is needed for tie timber and one is impressed with its per- 

 sistence in spite of fires throughout the whole northern portion. If the 

 fire devastation were once stopped, the future of the region is assured. 

 The region directly north and east of Sudbury was not examined but 

 it is known to be of the same general type of white pine covmtry. South 

 of the Timagami reserve are some townships tributary to the Sturgeon 

 river and still in the Crown, estimated to contain two billion feet of 

 white pine. For a rational use of the soU the region from Mattawa 

 west to Nipigon, with the southern boundary of the Clay belt running 

 from the Porcupine district to Nipigon reserve as northern limit 

 should be made into a reserve and adequate expenditure for fire pro- 

 tection made. AU representative men encountered on this trip with- 

 out exception agreed that this region should be placed in reserve for 

 timber growing. It will, however, in all probability be necessary and 

 desirable to make a further and detailed examination with a view to 

 securing specific information as to just what sections shotild be first 

 considered in connection with the plan of permanent reservation sug- 

 gested herein. 



