BOOKS AND CURRENT LITERATURE 



17 



cultural relation hctwceMi the forest and woodlands, and tiie jmstures, 

 farms and meadows which man had wrested from the primeval forest. 

 The history of the culture of the region is traced back to the seventh 

 century. During the intervening thirteen centuries the handling of the 

 forests, meadows, farms and pastures remained practically stable. The 

 present forest may still be considered natural, since it originated from 

 natural reproduction alone, artificial reforestation dating back only 

 fifty to eighty years and amounting to about 1% of the total. It was, 

 however, profoundly influenced by man, he and his domestic animals 

 having left on the physiognomy of the forest and its boundaries their 

 indelible imprint. 



The territory above Ilanz-Schleuis through which the upper Rhine 

 and its tributaries flow, comprises a region of deep alpine valleys and 

 embraces an area of about 300 square miles north of the Central Alps 

 in the western part of the Canton Orisons. The main valley under 

 consideration is about 50 miles long, has an easterly direction and is 

 comparatively straight and broad. On both sides it is flanked by 

 high rugged mountain ranges, many of whose canyons head in perma- 

 nent glaciers. The elevation of the upper Rhine at Tschamut near the 

 upper and west end of the valley is about 5400 feet above the sea level, 

 while at Ilanz, the eastern boundary of the region under study, it has 

 descended to 2300 feet. The elevation of the enclosing mountains is 

 from 9000 to 11 ,000 feet above sea level. The average annual precipita- 

 tion in the valley varies from 39 inches to 45 inches, the average monthly 

 during the growing season, March to September, being 3.5 inches to 4.0 

 inches. Moist south and southwest winds bring in this large precipita- 

 tion. The winter sno^vfall is heavy and much damage is done through 

 snow pressure both in the forests and in the orchards. The author 

 speaks of our own black locust, planted for ornamental purposes, as 

 withstanding the winter snows onl}' with difficulty. 



The author presents ample evidence that the region was once heavily 

 forested and that the forest was made up of a number of strongl}^ indi- 

 vidual types according to exposure and soil and moisture conditions. 

 Besides forests there were originally open grassy ''parks" and heaths, 

 which exist in part toda}-. At present the forest cover is only frag- 

 mentary. The phototype plates in the appendix give a very vivid 

 picture of this condition. Farms and pastures now occupj' sites which 

 were once heavily timbered. Man cleared the benches having southern 

 exposures before he attacked the valley. These benches are now 

 largely abandoned. 



THE PLANT WORLD, VOL. 21, NO. 1 





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