172 THE FOREST LANDS OF FINLAND. 



tures, but no fruits other than currants and berries. There 

 were considerable bodies of woodland, and here and there 

 a village of log huts. The population was sparse, and a 

 general air of poverty prevailed. It is, indeed, geologi- 

 callv, a region that has but recently emerged from under 

 the glaciers, and abounds in lakes and ponds. We noticed 

 several high slender stacks of leaves put up for winter 

 feed, and there were various indications of long and cold 

 winters; for this is in over 01 of North latitude, and 

 under the same parallel as Greenland, and the northern 

 shore of Hudson's Bay. 



' The public highway appeared to end at a gate ; but on 

 passing this, and no longer fenced, the carriage-way led by 

 easy curves, through a well-kept woodland, with here and 

 there a little lake, until a mile or two further it passed 

 a steam saw-mill, and the next moment brought into view 

 the group of wooden buildings of the Forest Academy, 

 that were first seen across a beautiful lake. As our arrival 

 was expected no time was lost in explanations, and the 

 most generous hospitality awaited us. 



' The two days spent at this place were most profitably 

 employed, and although in vacation, every care was taken 

 to illustrate the working of the establishment, including 

 the mill, in which steam was got up to show* its operations. 

 There are two separate branches of instruction taught 

 here, one for the education of forest agents, and the other 

 of forest guards. The number of students is small, but 

 the course appeared well arranged, and the results very 

 satisfactory. Mr B. is a Swede, and received his profes- 

 sional training at the Saxon School of Forestry in Tharand. 



' In wandering through the forests we noticed that the 

 timber was small, and of slow growth. It was chiefly fir, 

 pine, birch, and poplar, and was not comparable in size or 

 density with our common native forest growth. Experi- 

 ments had been made with the Siberian larch, but the 

 plantation was too young to judge of the result. Some 

 years before we had sent to this place several pounds of 

 seeds of our white pine, and small parcels of seeds of the 



