EXPLOITATION. W 



before, it was found necessary to adopt legislative measures 

 to protect, by prudent foresight, the interests of the future 

 while supplying the requirements of the present ; and 

 in 1544?, 1576, and 1579, there were issued ordinances 

 designed to regulate the felling of timber, and deter- 

 mining the duration of lengthened periods during which 

 no fellings should take place in portions of the forest which 

 had been cleared of trees deemed fit to be felled, that time 

 might be afforded for the reproduction of forest by a new 

 growth of trees ; by the ordinance of 1669 the general 

 practise of it [Jardinage] in France was terminated, and 

 now it is only tolerated in circumstances in which the 

 application of the more advanced forest economy of the 

 present day would be productive of more evil than good, 

 as would often be the case on mountain crests, &c., where 

 the woods afford shelter arid protection, which, once 

 destroyed, it would be difficult to restore, and impractic- 

 able to restore till after a time, during which damage, 

 perhaps irreparable damage, would be done.' 



In the management of plantations of conifers in the north 

 of Scotland, it has been the practice in some places where 

 all the trees in each plantation are of one age, to make a 

 clean sweep of the plantation when the trees have attained 

 a satisfactory size ; and afterwards to replant the ground 

 with another crop of trees. This mode of felling is known 

 in French Forest Economy as felling a blanc etoc. The 

 practice applied thus to plantations, and successive plan- 

 tations, might be considered a kind of gardening, or Jar- 

 dinage : for thus do gardeners treat some of their crops; but 

 it is not so designated, for, be it noted, that designation is 

 applied to the treatment of trees ; this is applied to plan- 

 tations alone. And by a succession of periodical plantings 

 on different spots every year, or every five years, or every 

 ten years, there might be raised a series of crops fit for 

 the axe at successive periods, whereby might be produced 

 a continuous supply of wood, and of pecuniary returns. If 

 this be realised, little difficulty will be experienced in 



