152 AMERICAN FORi:STRY 



As far as the safeguarding of sylviculture is concerned, it is provided 

 that the forest belonging to the communes, provinces, i)ublic institutions, 

 corporations, associations and share companies must be utilized in accord- 

 ance with the prescriptions of the forest authorities. 



For the reconstitution of extremely deteriorated forests, the Ministry is 

 authorized to grant the technical direction gratuitously and to give bonuses 

 of from $4 to |8 per acre. 



Barren lands, or those covered with grass or bushes, which are submitted 

 to a rational reafforestation by their owners or by societies of owners are de- 

 clared exempt from the land tax for 15 years if planned for coppice, and for 

 40 years if laid out for high forests. 



The Forest, central and local authorities also should give gratuitous as- 

 sistance to forest growers for the defense of small mountain properties and 

 for the encouragement of the foundation of associations and societies of for- 

 est owners. 



The sum of $G,G00,()00is ascribed on the budget for the first five years 

 from the putting into force of the law; after which period the necessary in- 

 creases will be settled fixed in the agricultural budget. 



Now, as we have already stated, when once the principle of the positive 

 intervention of the State was affirmed, it was necessary to establish in what 

 way this intervention should be brought to bear on the lofty task of bringing 

 about the resurrection of Italian forest culture, and of regulating the regimen 

 of the waters compromised b}' the deforestation. 



And it was thus, at the Second Italian Forest Congress, held at Turin 

 last August, that among the other reports discussed and approved was that 

 of Messrs. Maganzini and Valentini, civil state engineers, illustrating tlie 

 plans for the application of the new law for mountain basins, approved in 

 July of this year; which law was prepared by Mr. Maganzini himself, who is a 

 member of the Superior Council of Public Works, and fixes a fund of ^lo,- 

 000,000 for the regulation of the fluvial basins, most of which are torrential. 



REPORTS ON THE SITUATION 



A report of the Superior Forest Inspector, Manfren, and the Under In- 

 spector, Di Telia, was then approved; this report established the necessity 

 for a system of forest statistics. Another report that was approved was that 

 by the writer of the present article, materializing the technical problems of 

 Italian sylviculture in the following manner, in order that sure and efficient 

 working plans might be prepared: 



1. To improve and render less costly the technics of afforestation; 



2. To improve existing forests, and more particularly: 



(a) to insure the most rapid regeneration of the forests, after the 

 removal of the cutting j)roduc1s; 



(b) to cultivate the most remunerative timber species; 



(c) to bring to full density forests of low yield; 



(d) to produce plants of good form and quality; 



(e) to obtain the greatest volume increment possible contempo- 



