CONTINENTAL NOTES — FRANCE. 77 



heather on the borders of a wood, and also from railway engine 

 sparks. In the former case, a relatively narrow line along the 

 edge of the heath should generally suffice for protection, except, 

 perhaps, in the case of species like Scots pine. The upkeep 

 of a broad cleared line in such a case would be expensive, 

 and it would probably be wise to thin the pine and underplant 

 the strip with Spanish chestnut, or to completely substitute 

 an edging of broad-leaved trees for the pine. M. Gallois 

 is against the complete clearance of all resinous trees from lines 

 bordering pure resinous woods. To say nothing of the loss 

 of the land thus put out of forest cultivation, the upkeep of 

 such a line — always liable to become again covered with inflam- 

 mable brushwood — is very onerous. He quotes the method 

 adopted in the Prussian State Forests where railways traverse 

 pine forests, and as we believe a Bill to deal with this matter is 

 shortly to be brought before Parliament, perhaps it may be useful 

 to consider it. The plan is to clear the trees for 17I metres 

 (about 58 feet) from the rails, while for 13 metres (say 40 feet) 

 they thin and prune the lower branches of the pines and remove 

 the undergrowth. In reality, though M. Gallois does not 

 mention it, we believe there is in addition, at a little distance, 

 a path or road parallel to the railway, and also transverse paths. 

 Forstmeister Dr Kienitz,i proposes to clear of trees 12 to 15 

 metres only, cutting this belt across with alleys and ditches, and 

 to thin and prune the trees, and clear the ground of brushwood, 

 for another 18 metres. This, says M. Gallois, may suffice to 

 catch the stray sparks of a railway engine, but the protection- 

 belt should be 180 to 200 feet wide where a real automatic fire- 

 line, to keep fire out, is wanted. One wishes it were possible 

 in our Indian forests to rely on a row of spark-catching trees, and 

 to save the loss of completely cleared lines, but, unfortunately, 

 most trees there, including the pines, drop their leaves in the hot 

 weather, thus completely covering with very inflammable material 

 any lines burnt under the shade of trees. It may interest readers 

 to know that they use telephones to connect the Forest Officers' 

 houses with the Forest Guards' lodges in the south of France, 

 and this, too, is done in the Forest of Dean. 



M. De Gail writes of the progress of the insect invasion of the 

 fir forests in the Vosges, near Gerardmer. The insects are 



1 See Vol. XVII. p. 198.— Hon. Ed. 



