214 TRANSACTIONS OF ROYAL SCOTTISH ARBORICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
FORESTRY IN JAPAN. 
If we look at the surface of Japan, we find that almost 
60 per cent. of the land is covered with forests. It took the 
Government several years thoroughly to study, classify, and 
survey these enormous forests, and to establish schools in 
forestry. Trees are now grown in Japan with scientific care 
all over the country, and that magnificent national asset 
will in future be exploited to the fullest extent. The State 
owns more than one-third of the forests of Japan, and as these 
were in a very bad state, a vast national programme was drawn 
up for adjusting forest areas to manageable proportions, con- 
structing roads, draining, irrigating, replanting, etc., and after 
a careful estimate the sum of £2,400,000 was destined for 
that purpose. This heavy sum was to be furnished by the 
forests themselves, by the gradual sale of useless, badly- 
situated, or uneconomical small portions. The income from 
the State forests is at present ridiculously small, but profits 
are expected to increase regularly from year to year, in conse- 
quence of the measures which have been taken to insure a 
scientific development. Some of the most valuable trees of 
Japan grow very slowly; therefore the full benefit of the 
new forest policy will become apparent only after several 
decades, and the Department of Agriculture estimates that 
the net profits of the State forests will continue to grow until 
within a century these will have reached at least £7,000,000 
per annum if the prices of wood remain absolutely stationary, 
an event which appears unlikely. By its forest policy the 
Japanese Government has secured a considerable and constantly- 
growing income for the nation.— Zhe Timber News and Saw-mill 
Engineer, September g, 1905. 
MEXICAN FORESTRY. 
About eight months ago the Mexican Government com- 
missioned Mr Paul Hoffman, a distinguished German forester 
and scientific agriculturist, to make exhaustive experiments 
with the growth of forest trees in Mexico. He has planted 
in different parts of the country 120 varieties of forest trees— 
about 30,000. It is the object of the Government to transform 
