52 TRANSACTIONS OF ROYAL SCOTTISH ARBORICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



being killed by this attack. M. Henry rebuts this with vigour^ 

 and says that the matter is insignificant. He says the attack 

 is due to Phoma abietina, discovered by R. Hartig. At the 

 same time he admits that the attack was widely spread, and 

 surely the loss by the withering off of the ends of millions of 

 branches is not insignificant ; but more is admitted — namely, 

 that Phoma induces a condition of languor favourable to the 

 installation of bark beetles and saprophytic fungi. What serious 

 damage the various beetles can do, more particularly with 

 the spruce, but also with the silver, we know. It seems a little 

 contradictory, but at any rate we sympathise with M. Henry in 

 his indignation over the scare.^ 



7. M. A. Mathey has a long article in the Reime des Eaux et 

 Forets about Algeria. The French have to contend with great 

 difficulties there, both from man and from nature, but they 

 appear to be rapidly conquering. M. Mathey describes in 

 picturesque language the awful scenes of desolation that are 

 met with in the mountains, but prophesies that with patient 

 labour even these places may eventually be reclaimed — first 

 with grasses, then with bushes, and finally with forest. Such 

 difficulties are not met with at home. Nevertheless we have 

 many and extensive bare spots, like downs, bogs, and moors, 

 upon which we might try our hand. And we do not suffer from 

 the greatest of difficulties, a lack of rain. There are many 

 spots, like sand-dunes, which might (as at Holkham) be most 

 profitably planted up. Let us hope the Commission on Coast 

 Erosion will make proposals of this kind, 



8. Apropos of this subject, M. Pierre Buffault has a 

 description in the Revue of a large afforestation project which 

 the Italians have in hand at the headwaters of the Sele river, in 

 the neighbourhood of Naples, where the usual danger of streams 

 drying up is threatened by the destruction of the woods. This 

 project embraces nearly 450,000 acres of ravines and plateaux — 

 chalk, clay and marl, at a fairly high altitude. The species 

 used, which are succeeding well, are the Austrian pine on the 

 higher parts, Corsican on the lower, and Robinia on the loose 

 banks of ravines. Also the Neapolitan alder (A/nus cordi- 



folia) is wonderfully successful in very dry and exposed situations, 

 the very last place one would expect to suit an alder. It may be 



' This suggestion as to the cause of failure of the silver fir merits attention, 

 here. — Hon. Ed. 



