FORE STORY OF JAPAN. 3 



It was apprehended on the one hand that with the reck- 

 less felling of trees not accompanied by the proper method of 

 regeneration, the productive capacity of the land was weaken- 

 ed and a certain limitation had been placed upon the utiliza- 

 tion of forests by way of their protection but on the other 

 hand, there still exist vast tracts of the forests in the regions 

 constituting so to speak the spinal column of the country as 

 well as elsewhere, the primeval forests having never known 

 any timber men's axes and given up to be the abode of 

 bears, dear and other wild animals. Besides, Hokkaido, for 

 instance, is rich in forests and though several decades have 

 already passed since the exploitation of the island was com- 

 menced and much is done in the line of the forest utilization, 

 yet large tracts of the primeval forests exist in the different 

 parts of the island. In Formosa too, it must be observed that 

 there exist splendid primeval forests covering no small extent 

 of its area. Particularly in the case of Karafuto, it may be 

 noted that the entire island is thickly covered with forests, 

 both the utilization and regeneration of which are left for 

 future provisions. 



In short, under the general economic condition of the 

 country, such as we find at present, these forests do not 

 permit the old method of working and naturally there arises 

 a necessity for ensuring the work under the strict system of 

 control while at the same time the way must be opened for 

 the utilization and exploitation of these forests. 



