Periodical Literature. 89 



Fire is still used to "improve" the pasture and to increase the 

 waste area, especially on the denuded limestone mountains. 



The attempts by the French government for more than half a 

 century to bring about improvement have failed : it is impossible 

 to break the habits of the people ; no number of guards can keep 

 the straying animals out of forest or plantation. The v^^riter 

 thinks that half the sterile area may be recuperated. 



This would, of course, require that the animals be kept out of a 

 given limited area, but he thinks the population could be per- 

 suaded to see that it is to their advantage to do so, and he pro- 

 poses educational efforts to bring it about. 



Le Regime pastoral de la Corse. Bulletin, Societe Forestiere de Franche- 

 Comte et Belfort. December, 1912. Pp. 600-613. 



Dr. Klein writes a very interesting article 



Cork on the economic significance of the cork 



Oak. oak in Portugal, which contains, however, 



other information regarding the tree and 



its products, and also references to other forestry interests of the 



country. 



There are about 550,000 acres of Quercus siiber, often in ex- 

 tensive close stands, usually with broad bushy crowns and boles 

 branching only 5 to 10 feet above ground, the branches being 

 trimmed to let in the light. Growing at first rapidly so that a 

 first harvest of cork may be secured when the tree is 20 to 25 

 years old, it later becomes slow, but it can grow to considerable 

 dimension, so that 4,000 lbs. of cork may come from one tree. 



The total harvest in Portugal is 50,000 tons of bark, mostly 

 exported in plates. The acorns are also an important harvest for 

 the fattening of swine. Usually $5 to 6 per head is the rent for 

 the season's use of the forest for this purpose. Moreover, in the 

 open stands the peasants grow grain. This prevents fires, and 

 accelerates the cork formation, although not the quality which is 

 better when slowly grown. 



The cork oak forests are mostly private property and are either 

 worked by their owner or rented for 20 to 40 years under 

 varying conditions. Most of the woods are the result of natural 

 reproduction, but lately reforestation by sowing is being practised, 

 the acorns of known good producing trees being used. In such 

 plantations the virgin oak cork (which is used only for decora- 



