326 Major F. Bailey's Forest Tour 



is much greater than tins. Such steep ground had better 

 be kept under simple protection, letting the forest groAv 

 up as much as it will, removing none but dead or dying 

 trees, and spending time and money on those parts of the 

 area only which are likely to pay "well. At Montrieux, for 

 instance, there are said to be 1100 acres of rocky ground, 

 which, if left alone, would grow a light crop of trees, 

 affording protection to those on better soil, and at the 

 same time giving seed; here all efforts should be concen- 

 trated on the remainder of the forest, so as to bring it 

 into the best possible condition, as an example to be 

 followed by degrees by the neighbouring proprietors. 

 The moral to be learnt from a study of these hills is that 

 all existing forests should be most jealously guarded 

 against the destruction, which must sooner or later over- 

 take them, if they are not rigorously and efficiently prc- 

 tected against over-cutting, fires, and grazing. When once 

 they have been ruined, those which are not State property 

 can hardh' ever be resuscitated, and even if success be 

 attained it is at an enormous cost. While we were 

 pondering on these questions, the rain, which had been 

 threatening for some time, burst upon us with the 

 violence of a tropical shower, and we had to find our way 

 to Belgentier in a drenched condition, down a path which 

 was converted for the moment into a little torrent, through 

 which we had to wade. On arrival we found that, to 

 make matters worse, our carriage had not arrived, and we 

 had to wait an hour for it to take us back to Toulon. 



The Maures. 



From Toulon we took train to Cuers, in order 

 to visit the Maures, a low range of hills rising to a 

 height of 2500 feet, near the sea-coast between Toulon 

 and Frejus. This range, which has precisely the same 

 geological formation as the Yosges, is extremely like them 

 in appearance ; the rock is principally granite, gneiss, or 

 mica-schist, and there are numerous springs throughout it. 

 The chain is continued beyond Frejus by the hills of the 

 Esterel, which extend eastwards to Antibes, and differ 

 from the Maures in that the rock is chiefly porphyry, the 

 numerous clefts and cracks in which permit the water to 



