in Provence and the Cevennes. 3il 



flower, and also a clump of bamboos, not unlike the small 

 species {Arundiiiaria falcatii) which grows on tlie Siwalik 

 Hills to the south of Dehra Dun. We passed the night 

 at Nice ; and after a day spent in well-earned repose, 

 which included a visit to the bank in order to replenish 

 the purse, and to the conservator to pay our respects, we 

 took train to Nismes, a journey of some fourteen hours 

 by rail, where we spent Sunday morning, reaching Alais, 

 at the foot of the Cevennes, during the evening. 



The Cevennes. 



The forest of Grande Comble, near La Lavade, was next 

 day visited. It is 5000 acres in extent, and is maintained 

 in order to supply props for a neighbouring coal mine. It 

 was formed in 1840 and subsequent years, by grubbing up 

 the shrubs, chiefly heather, burning them as they lay, and 

 sowing cluster pine seed broadcast on their ashes. When 

 the trees had reached the age of thirty years, the crop was 

 clean-felled ; and the ground then became covered with self- 

 sown seedlings, but seed was scattered where it was thought 

 that their number was insufficient. The trees are now, 

 therefore, about fifteen years old, and they are cut when 

 they have attained a girth of from 15 inches to 8 feet, 

 which is the size of which mine-props are required to be. 

 Formerly the lower branches of the pines used to be pruned 

 off* in order to reduce the amount of combustible material 

 near the ground; but this practice has been abandoned, as 

 it was found to interfere with the development of the trees ; 

 and there is not much risk of fire, against which other pre- 

 cautions are taken. A plaster model of the forest was 

 exhibited, and the coal mine was also inspected, after which 

 the party travelled by train to Genolhac, higher up the 

 valley. This was the first railway made in France, and 

 it is still the only line of traffic, for there are no cart 

 roads. It was constructed for the export of produce from 

 the iron, coal, and sulphur mines, of which there are here 

 a considerable number. We were told that mine-props 

 are brought by train from the Landes, and sold at Alais at 

 the extraordinary low price of 3|d. per running metre. It 

 is difficult to understand how it can pay to bring them so far 

 for sale at such a price. The railway to Genolhac winds 



