58 TRANSACTIONS OF ROYAL SCOTTISH ARBORICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



Aflforestation is much helped forward in France by societies 

 similar to our own. The parishes which lie in the mountains 

 receive the assistance of these societies more particularly, and 

 are strongly urged by them to plant. Some figures quoted in 

 circulars issued to the mayors of parishes by the society known 

 as the "Touring Club" are surprising. It appears that some 

 parishes already own woods which bring them in very good and 

 steady revenues — ^400,^^800,^1600, and even ^2000 a year, 

 apart from such things as free firing given to the inhabitants. 

 Of course there may be exceptions, but nearly everywhere the 

 parish woods, worked as they are under State control, are a 

 sound and constantly improving investment. 



The Central Society for the afforestation of mountains, which 

 has its headquarters at Bordeaux, has actually succeeded in 

 persuading some of the Pyrenean parishes (notoriously ignorant 

 and backward though they mostly are) to plant. These poor 

 parishes have been accustomed to allow the grazing on their 

 lands of migratory flocks and herds, as well as of their own 

 animals, and to remove trees to make room for grass. The result 

 has been that the soil has dried up, and the hillsides have 

 been degraded to such an extent as to spoil the grazing. The 

 above-named society has rented certain areas, forbidden 

 migratory grazing upon them, and planted trees ; and in a very 

 short time it has so much improved the grazing for the local 

 cattle that neighbouring parishes have commenced to follow its 

 example. 



In France and Algeria there are 364 Scholars' Planting 

 Associations, and, though only a recent departure, they have 

 already created 920 nurseries and planted 7,042,700 trees. If 

 these societies continue to grow and to work as at present, in a 

 dozen years they will have planted 131^ million plants. In 

 Norway, too, school children plant trees. In Germany it is 

 believed to be the rule to teach children elementary notions of 

 silviculture in the public schools. Could not this be done 

 here in schools under the Education Department, to prevent 

 from the beginning, and universally, the ignorance which has 

 had such bad results ? Want of understanding is at the bottom 

 of nearly all opposition to forest measures, and the writer of 

 these notes can affirm from personal experience that whenever 

 educated people come into sufficient contact with the work of a 

 forest service to understand its methods their sympathy increases. 



