Periodical Literature. 723 



fully pass through the Oxford School of Forestry, with its at- 

 tendant courses on the Continent of Europe." — American Fores- 

 try, May 1912, p. 319. 



In the North African country which has 



Forests been absorbed by France, the forests are 



of State property. They cover about 5,000 



Tunis square kilometers (1,930 square miles) and 



are divided by the Medjerdah Valley into 



two districts or sections. The northern of these, covering the 



Kroumerie Range and the Xefza and Mogod districts, are zee oaks 



and cork oaks ; the latter on the eastern and southern slopes, the 



zee oaks on the northern. 



At the foot of the mountains are wild olive trees, elm, willow, 

 white poplar, ash and Thuya. The forests south of the Medjerdah 

 (mostly spruce and pine) have been well cleared by unscrupulous 

 and uncontrolled feeling. Since 1884, the Kroumerie forests have 

 been regularly operated on scientific and business principles ; the 

 output being cork, tan bark and railway ties. 



The cork oaks cover about 90,000 hectares (206,000 acres). 

 In the vicinity of the Kroumerie they are found in number, and 

 their nearness to the coast and the railway render their ex- 

 ploitation easy. The cork bark has a thickness of about 25 to 

 2y centimeters (9.35 to 10.6 inches) and is skinned off every 

 8 to 12 years. The wood is hard and difficult to split, but is good 

 for fuel, and yields fine charcoal. From 1900 to 1907 over 

 3,600,000 francs (says $720,000) worth of cork was sold from 

 these forests, which was mostly exported to France and Algeria, 

 where it is made into corks. 



The tan bark is sold each April in Tunis and mostly to Tunesian 

 and Italian merchants, and sent to Italy, Portugal and Eg>'pt. 



The zee oak wood, which dries slowly, is prime for railway 

 ties ; the other sorts there found — except the thuya — are of little 

 value. 



In 1910 Tunis imported 2,525,146 francs, (say $500,000) 

 worth of lumber, including 48 tons of American pitch pine 

 worth 7,423 francs ($1,480). Of walnut, Tunis received about 

 290 tons from America. 



