The Ainerican Forest Congress. 81 



able, it does not necessarily follow that that will have any effect 

 on legislation, and in fact in regard to the defects in the organiza- 

 tion of the forest service and in the forest laws that urgently re- 

 quire remedy, the government is helpless until Congress is pre- 

 pared to act. 



M. Jusserand, the French Ambassador, at this meeting, gave 

 one of the best addresses of the Congress. He described the for- 

 est as the great friend which supplied the early wants of man- 

 kind, giving the first fuel, helping to the rearing of the first real 

 house. And, now, after the lapse of thousands of years, the for- 

 est continues tlie great friend, so adequate is it to our wants. The 

 forest has proved itself a friend to France in reclothing the bared 

 and wasted m.ountain sides and rescuing the fertile lands of the 

 valleys from destruction, in restraining the destructive power of 

 the winds, in stopping the advancing flow of that great 

 sea of sand from the ocean, which engulfed farms and 

 towns and threatened to make the country a desert. To quote 

 M. Jusserand's own words : — 



" The importance of such plantations (i.e. forest plantations 

 on mountain slopes) is more and more apparent. We see des- 

 truction and poverty invade the parts where they have not been 

 observed ; wealth and comfort grow in those where the rules have 

 been observed. Where there is a just proportion of forest ground, 

 the temperature is more equal, the yielding of water springs more 

 regular, and observations in the south of France have shown that, 

 since the Esteral has been reforested the destruction caused by 

 that terrible wind, called the Mistral, has diminished. The sea 

 coasts of France were being gradually invaded by the sand, and 

 the wind carried the death powder farther inland as years passed 

 on. In 1810 we tried forestry, and the forest showed itself, as 

 usual, the friend of man ; the sand country has entirely disappear- 

 ed, as well on the ocean as on the channel, and the desolate reg- 

 ions of yore are now wealthy, pleasant ones, where people even 

 flock for their recreation and their health." 



The size of the Congress resulted in one defect, that it was 

 difficult to carry out a discussion of practical problems. This 

 was partly met by a series of lectures to forestry students, follow- 



