234 



RECREATION. 



hibit with satisfaction in many districts. 

 They are the veritable bonanzas of the 

 future, which will furnish more valuable 

 material than our older stands, resulting 

 from methods of natural regeneration. 

 Clearing, followed by planting and sowing, 

 deserves, with a few exceptions, preference 

 over natural regeneration. Besides, this 

 latter method is much more expensive in- 

 directly in cost of logging and loss of time 

 and young growth than most practitioners 

 think." 



Finally, in a business forest, the relative 

 cost of each method is determinative, unless 

 strong reasons can be brought to make the 

 choice of the more expensive method im- 

 perative. 



The clearing method, with artificial plant- 

 ing, permits statement of approximate cost. 

 The harvesting is concentrated and the ele- 

 ments of its cost can be readily figured, as 

 also can the cost of planting; and a com- 

 plete success of the young crop can almost 

 be forced. With the gradual removal and 

 natural seeding methods an area 10, 20, 30 

 times as large must be taken into operation 

 simultaneously, to secure the same felling 

 budget annually; that is to say, means of 

 transportation for the harvested crop must 

 be spread and must be maintained over a 

 much larger area in order to secure the 

 single annual felling budget by gradual re- 

 moval during a "given number of years. 

 Here is, then, a first investment to be made 

 which would prevent the manager, who has 

 no capital to invest, from adopting such a 

 method, even if he should recognize it 

 otherwise as best. 



The larger the area to be harvested over, 

 the more expensive does the 'harvest be- 

 come ; how much in proportion it would be 

 difficult to figure, even under given con- 

 ditions, but every logger knows that the 

 difference is considerable and will go far to 

 offset the direct money outlay for planting. 



Finally, the result, in a natural young 

 crop, is hy no means so assured as the 

 theorist who discusses the natural regen- 

 eration methods on paper takes for granted. 

 It is dependent on many uncontrollable or 

 only partially controllable circumstances, 

 among which the occurrence of seed years, 

 proper weather and especially proper soil 

 condition at time of seeding and germina- 

 tion, and proper light conditions during 

 early development should be mentioned. 

 The result, especially in a mixed forest, 

 with species of unequal value, even in the 

 most skillful hands, is not so absolute as 

 with artificial reproduction, which practi- 

 cally is controlled by the purse alone. 



The management of the College Forest, 

 having its working funds curtailed to the 

 lowest limits, and having no capital to in- 

 vest in permanent systems of transporta- 

 tion, was prevented by financial considera- 



tions at the outset from inaugurating any 

 system of gradual removal, even if it hacl 

 considered such a system, under the condi- 

 tions, desirable. There were, however, 

 good silvicultural reasons why, for that 

 part of the property which it had first to 

 take into operation, another system was 

 preferable. 



It stands to reason that in the systems of 

 natural regeneration only those species can 

 be reproduced which are present in suffi- 

 cient numbers; hence, if we wish to have 

 in the new crop species which are absent or 

 poorly represented, we must resort to ar- 

 tificial means. In the Wawbeek district 

 not only has the most valuable part of na- 

 ture's original crop, the white pine and 

 spruce, been previously most severely 

 culled, leaving few or no trees that could 

 be utilized as seed trees, 'but the young 

 volunteer growth of these species is poorly 

 represented or, as in the case of the white 

 pine, mostly absent. 



These species which are recognized as 

 most desirable would have to be, therefore, 

 supplied artificially. Hence a mixed system 

 has been adopted, which consists in con- 

 centrated logging, in which all young vol- 

 unteer growth and sapling timber of prom- 

 ise is saved as far as practicable, and the 

 valuable conifers are planted in, or sown, 

 as the case may be, at the rate of 500 to 

 1,500 plants, according to needs. Moreover, 

 clumps of trees have been left on elevations 

 and otherwise scattered over the area, to 

 act as seed trees to fill in the crop with 

 hardwoods and native spruces. Besides, as 

 the annual cuts are not strung together, 

 but widely separated, the margins of the 

 cut area also provide seeds for that purpose 

 for several years. In other words, a mixed 

 natural and artificial system has been 

 chosen, which promises most success in the 

 reproduction, and probably at the least ex- 

 penditure ; the result expected being a 

 mixed forest of hardwoods and conifers, 

 in which the latter are given the prefer- 

 ence. 



The College has thus far cut over about 

 300 acres and planted 255 acres, and has 

 large nurseries, containing nearly 2,000,000 

 seedlings, to be used in planting wherever 

 the necessity arises. Its main trouble is the 

 deficiency of funds to carry on its business 

 satisfactorily. 



When you are through with your rifle or 

 shot gun for the season where will you 

 keep it? Would you not like a handsome 

 gun rack to hold it? If so, send 'me 5 

 yearly subscription to Recreation and I 

 will send you such a rack, made of pol- 

 ished buffalo horns. It will not only af- 

 ford a convenient resting place for your 

 gun, out of harm's way, but is an attrac- 

 tive ornament to a wall. 



