CONTINENTAL NOTES FRANCE. 1 7 



inconclusive as to actual outturn in volume, but the material 

 produced by plot A was of considerably greater value. 

 It seems a pity that the two plots were not equal in all ways at 

 the beginning, and then thinned to different degrees, for 

 this would have given clear results. But thinnings amongst 

 conifers can easily be overdone, because too widely spaced 

 stems will grow too quickly to produce good quality timber, and 

 become too branchy, forming knots (that great defect), while 

 there is danger of the exposed soil losing fertility. 



V. — The question is often discussed of public bodies becoming 

 forest proprietors, but one has rarely come across anything in 

 this line quite so progressive as the action of the Penarroya 

 Society (or Company) in Spain. M. Laporte, one of the 

 Algerian conservators, who himself saw what he describes, says 

 that this is a very powerful company, owning numerous mines 

 and factories for chemical products and manures. Formerly 

 for mine props they had to go to Portugal and the Landes, and 

 import them at great expense, now the company has created 

 a forest "domain" of 12,500 hectares (one hectare is nearly 

 2| acres), and intends to extend it to 20,000 hectares. The forest 

 lies on the southern slopes of the Sierra Morena, in the province 

 of Cordova. This area is actually being afforested at the rate of 

 500 to 600 hectares a year. It costs 350 to 600 francs per 

 hectare, and M. Laporte thinks that with the construction of 

 houses and roads, supervision and interest on outlay, the figure 

 might be put at 1000 francs per hectare (about ;^i6 per acre). 

 This is expensive, but M. Laporte says the work is being done 

 by "intensive ' methods, though what that means exactly is not 

 stated. The results are marvellous. Maritime pine for pit-props, 

 and eucalyptus both for props and for wood pulp, were planted. 

 The latter, by a special method, is used for making sacks, of 

 which an enormous quantity are wanted for their chemical 

 factories. M. Laporte appears to have been writing in 1913, 

 and he then found the pines planted in 191 1 to be i^ to 2 metres 

 (i metre equals 3 feet 3I inches) high, and those of 1909 2^ to 

 3 metres high. The results for the eucalyptus were stupifying. 

 Trees one-year old were between 3 and 4 metres high ; those 

 of 3 years 7 to 10 metres. Some E. rostrata in a nursery, in 

 good conditions, had in 5 years reached 14 to 16 metres (some 

 50 feet), and about 25 inches girth. M. Laporte calculates that 

 in 25 years there should be 33,772 cubic feet per acre, worth 



VOL. XXXL PART \. 15 



