RELATIONS OF GOVERNMENTS TO FORESTS. 23 



were owned, or at least controlled, by the governments. 

 To the American mind this view seems incredible, as 

 our opinions regarding the administration of private 

 property are just to the contrary. We insist upon the 

 least interference from public authorities with the man- 

 agement of private property. But when we consider 

 that the benefits derived from the forests consist not 

 only in revenues drawn from the forest vegetation, but 

 also in the advantages bestowed upon the development 

 and prosperity of the country by the influence of the 

 forests in regard to climate, weather, protection of the 

 soil, regulation of the flowing waters, etc., we cannot 

 deny that certain forests should be considered as public 

 cnt 'ailments, given to us for our own use with the direc- 

 tion to transfer them in the best possible shape to the 

 generations that will live after us, and who will, like us, 

 be compelled to make the same use of their beneficence. 

 For this reason it is claimed that the State should 

 own : (1) The forests and areas surrounding the water- 

 sheds of the navigable rivers and their tributaries, in 

 order to secure to the country a continual and undisturbed 

 water supply, on which not only depend navigation and 

 commerce, but also agriculture and manufacturing in- 

 dustries.* 



(2) The sand-downs or dunes along the sea coasts and 

 all infertile tracts containing shifting sands which en- 

 danger the adjoining fertile lands, unless kept continu- 

 ally in wood. 



(3) Every area unfit for agricultural purposes, but well 

 adapted for forest culture, if the owner should not be 

 able or willing to plant forest trees thereupon. 



* The adage, " the forest waters the farm," is not a mere saying ; it is 

 undeniably true that without a proper management of forests in civil- 

 ized and densely populated countries no remunerative agriculture is 

 practicable ; nay, without a proper preservation of certain forests, none 

 of the several branches of the politico-economical household of a people 

 can be in a prospering condition. 



