46 TRANSACTIONS OF ROYAL SCOTTISH ARBORICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



7. Continental Notes — France. 



By A. G. Hobart-Hampden. 



If we take the Bulletin de Franche-Comte et Belfort and the 

 Revue des Eaux et Forets for the past few months, we shall be 

 able to see how forest matters are progressing in France, and 

 shall find some points of interest. 



I. The veteran M. Charles Broilliard has an article on the 

 species which should be employed in afforesting the various 

 soils met with in the upper basin of the Saone, at heights 

 between 900 feet and 1800 feet. He speaks, as he has a 

 right to, ex cathedrd, from his experience of a country where 

 he has spent most of his life — so that his words should carry 

 weight with those who think of growing woods under similar 

 conditions. 



Considering first the hills and plateaux of the Jura and 

 Vosges — rocky, calcareous soil, with which are ordinarily found 

 alternating patches of stiff marl and clay. In the former 

 case the great thing is to get the soil covered with something 

 which is quick-growing, and then to add to this, perhaps 

 sparsely, the particular species {e.g., the larch) to which it is 

 intended to look for the future revenue. With the addition, 

 later, of a fertilising species like the beech, the forest will 

 gradually adjust and constitute itself. In the second case the 

 principal species will be the oak — the sessile in the drier, the 

 pedunculate in the moister, soils. This should be introduced 

 sparsely. With the oak, it is advised, should be added — 

 still more sparsely — poplars and aspens, and, later, hazel and 

 hornbeam. Thus the author would have about 1500 oaks, 

 300 poplars, and 600 hazel and hornbeam to the hectare 

 ( = 2i acres). This is thin, but M. Broilliard justifies this 

 under existing conditions. 



M. Broilliard also considers the afforestation of better soils — 

 into which matter we need not enter, beyond mentioning that 

 in speaking of fresh, silicious soils, his principal species is 

 the oak ; his quick-growing auxiliary is the birch ; and his 

 soil-enriching species, subsequently introduced, the beech. 



It is to be noticed that the quick-growing auxiliaries intro- 

 duced early have a light cover, otherwise the oak would have 

 but a poor chance. 



