FISHERIES, GAME AND FORESTS. 435 



Improvement Account. 



Under this account appears all the work and expenditures which are incurred in 

 the direct improvement of the forest conditions, namely, planting operations, clean- 

 ing up and similar dead work, which does not bring immediate returns, except when 

 material which is directly salable results from these operations. 



It is obvious that, as soon as logging operations arc begun, a certain portion of 

 their cost will also have to be debited to this account, namely, as much as these 

 operations are more expensive than ordinary lumbering, by virtue of the greater 

 care with which the logging must be done, to secure and save the young crop. 



Planting. 



There being by rough estimate at least from three thousand to five thousand 

 acres of cleared land or burnt areas, covered with useless brush and undrained 

 swamps, which are dead and unproductive capital, it is indicated to turn the same, as 

 rapidly as possible, into productive condition by planting these areas with valuable 

 species, i. e., mainly conifers. It is proposed, therefore, to plant yearly, as plant 

 material can be secured, from one to three hundred acres. How to do this cheaply 

 and yet effectively will be the problem to be solved. There are three directions in 

 which this problem needs to be studied, namely : 



a. Preparation of the ground for planting. 



b. Securing of plant material. 



c. Methods of planting. 



On the old burns there is a large amount of debris, besides brambles, weeds and 

 brush, which not only renders satisfactory progress in planting difficult, but increases 

 the danger of losing the plantations by fire, and impedes their growth. The 

 removal of these impediments is expensive and must be confined to what is abso- 

 lutely necessary. 



Some of the volunteer growth, if consisting of aspen, not too old, can be left even 

 advantageously, to act as nurses to the young conifers, or will, at least, not interfere 

 sufficiently in their development to necessitate the expense of their removal. Of 

 course, whatever valuable volunteer coniferous growth exists is also saved. 



Some fifty acres of sandy slope near Axton, being of this character, and being 

 cleaner of debris than usual, were planted in the spring, without any preparation, 

 two and three-year-old plants being set out with the spade at the rate of about 

 1,200 plants, 2 to 3 years old, to the acre among the light aspen and shrub growth. 



