FORESTRY IN FRANCE. QS 
for such of the forests as have not yet been re-surveyed. In the 
communal forests the work of demarcation and survey is less 
advanced than it is in the State forests, because the charges for 
such work have to be defrayed from the communal treasury, and 
the needful funds are not always forthcoming. 
SysTEMS oF CULTURE. 
The climate of France is singularly favourable to the natural 
regeneration of forests, which is, generally speaking, relied on— 
planting and sowing being only resorted to in the comparatively 
rare instances in which success cannot otherwise be achieved, such 
cases including, of course, the stocking of extensive blanks. 
There are two main systems of culture—one known as “high- 
forest,” and the other as “ coppice.” 
A Hicu-rorest, which is usually destined to produce timber of 
large size, is one composed of trees that have been raised from seed, 
its regeneration being effected by means of seed, generally speaking 
self-sown. There are two methods of treating the forest in order to 
produce this result. In one of these the trees of each age-class are 
grouped together, and are subjected to periodical thinnings, until the 
time arrives for regeneration, which is effected by a series of fellings, 
the first being a more or less light thinning, intended to promote 
the formation of seed and the springing up of the young seedling 
plants. The seed-felling, as this is called, is followed at intervals 
by a series of secondary fellings, usually three or four in number, 
which are made in order to meet the gradually increasing require- 
ments of the young growth in the way of light ; and ultimately the 
remainder of the old stock is removed by a “final felling.” In this 
manner the marketable stems are gradually cut down and disposed 
of, the young crop being left to go through the same stages as its 
predecessor, and so on throughout successive generations of trees. In 
the selection method (known as jardinage), on the contrary, the 
trees of all ages are mixed over the whole area of the forest ; there 
are no regular thinnings of the kind made under the first method ; 
and the annual cuttings are effected by taking marketable trees here 
and there within a certain area of the forest, the blocks composing 
which are successively treated in the same manner, so that the 
entire forest is worked ever within a fixed period of time. When 
treated by the first method, the forest is grown under very artificial 
conditions ; for the age-classes are never in nature found thus grouped 
