44 TRANSACTIONS OF ROYAL SCOTTISH ARBOR ICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



to within a foot or two of the glaciers, and to an elevation 

 of over 7000 feet. Still higher there is but a scanty growth 

 of hardy herbage, then come the bare, grey rocks and the 

 perpetual snow without a sign of life. Nor is there any 

 movement in the great expanse, except when now and then 

 a mass of snow becomes dislodged and sweeps down the side 

 of the mountain, leaving behind it a long powdery trail of 

 purest white. The influence of heat and cold is thus strikingly 

 demonstrated, because all these effects are really due to 

 temperature. 



One-fifth part (20-6 per cent.) of Switzerland is under forest 

 — a goodly proportion when one considers that 3300 square 

 miles are occupied by rocks and moraines, another 700 square 

 miles by glaciers, while a still greater area lies at such a 

 high elevation that profitable forestry is out of the question. 



It says much for the foresight of the people that the forest 

 area of Switzerland continues to increase in spite of many 

 disadvantages. Transport difficulties alone are extremely grave 

 in a country where there are no canals or navigable rivers, 

 and where no part of the land reaches to the sea. 



Much the largest area of forest belongs to corporate bodies 

 (towns, villages, communes, etc.) — 67 per cent, being thus 

 owned, while 29 per cent, is under private proprietorship. The 

 State possesses very little forest land (only 4 per cent.), but it 

 exercises control over the corporation woods, and to a large 

 extent over private forests also. In the Canton of Zurich, 

 according to a law passed in October 1907, no wood may be 

 felled without permission, and restocking of the ground must 

 take place immediately afterwards — at latest in the spring 

 following the removal of the timber. Private owners are further 

 obliged to attend properly to the young forest growth, being 

 required to have the regenerated areas fully stocked and the 

 plants kept clear of weeds when young. A State forest officer 

 must declare the work to have been efficiently carried out 

 before it is " passed." The protection of neighbouring property, 

 so that, for example, felling operations on one estate may not 

 endanger the woods on another, is also provided for by the 

 State. Assistance is given (to the extent of 20 per cent, reduc- 

 tion of cost) when several landowners co-operate and place 

 their woods under the supervision of an expert forester working 

 upon a definite scheme of regulation. Indeed, by fulfilling 



