PERIODICAL LITERATURE. 

 FOREST GEOGRAPHY AND DESCRIPTION. 



The United States of Mexico comprise 27 

 Forestry sovereign States and three unorganized' 



in territories, besides the Federal District — 



Mexico. the City of Mexico and its surroundings 



(about 600 square miles). The latter con- 

 tains about 75,000 acres of wooded area, but only 3,700 belong to 

 the government. Outside of the federal district the government 

 property consists of vacant or ownerless lands, but it is not known 

 where exactly these are situated or what extent they have. 



The whole forest area is estimated at about 20 million acres, or 

 25% of the whole country. Exploitation of the crudest kind is 

 the rule even in the valley around the city. Wherever accessible 

 in the neighborhood of settlements and along railroads, no real 

 forest is to be seen, but away from means of transportation there 

 are large untouched forest areas, awaiting development. More 

 than 300 species are found to compose the forest, (among these, 

 some excellent yellow pine over large areas and equally excellent 

 oaks on the Sierra Madre). 



The first beginnings at regulating forest use of the national 

 forests date back to a decree in 1881 and a law of 1894 with 

 regulations for its execution, prescribing the manner of their 

 exploitation. These prescriptions seem to have remained a dead 

 letter. They referred only to the small federal holdings, while in 

 the States the control of forests is entirely in the hands of the 

 governors and there is no restriction in their use, as this would 

 offend the conceptions of private rights. 



In 1904 a "Junta central de Bosques" was formed by private 

 initiative — a forest council or forestry association, which received 

 official recognition by the government and was subventioned 

 through the Minister of Agriculture (Fomento) with a view of 

 improving matters. 



This council, however, confined itself mainly to the growing of 

 seedlings for free distribution, from nurseries established near 



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