64 



NA TURE 



[NOVEMBEK 15, 1894 



looked with unusual interest through such a catalogue received 

 from "the well-known Chinese Scientific Book Depot, 407 

 Hankow Road, Shanghai." According to the title-page of the 

 catalogue, the works described have been translated or written 

 by Dr. John Fiyer ; and as there are nearly two hundred of 

 them, covering the whole fields of natural and physical sciences, 

 we confess to a reverential feeling for Dr. Fryer's marvellous 

 industry and encyclopedic knowledge. The translations 

 are moslly based upon standard English ur .American educa- 

 tional books, and are arranged into five series. There is the 

 "outline" series, for general reading and elemenlar)' instruc- 

 tion; the " handbook " series, for more advanced students; 

 the "temperance physiology " series, the " magazine " series, 

 adapted for school reading books ; and the "Imperial Govern- 

 ment " series, consisting of treatises, which together form a 

 valuable encyclopedia. As the avowed object in publishing the 

 works is the higher education |and intellectual enliLjhtenment of 

 the Chinese nation, we echo the hope that the use of the transla- 

 tions will continue to extend wherever instruction in scientific 

 subjects is given in the Chinese langnage. 



The additions to the Zoological Society's Gardens during the 

 past week include two Wtiite-shafted Francolins (Francoliniis 

 leucoscepus) from North-east Africa, presented by Lord Lilford ; 

 two Nilotic Crocodiles (CrocoJilui niloticiis) from West Africa, 

 presented by Mr. J. A. McDiarmid ; four Hispid Lizards 

 (Agama hispiJa) Uoai South .\frica, presented by Mr. J. E. 

 Matcham ; an Australian Fruit Bat (PUropus poliocephalus 

 from .\ustralia ; a White-fronted \maiOQ{Chrysolis leucocefhala) 

 from Cuba, purchased. 



OUR ASTRONOMICAL COLUMX. 



.\ New Variable Star of the .Algol Tyte. — Dr. E. 

 Hartwig announced in the middle of September that the star 

 B.D. + 15-3311 (R.A. lyh. 53m. 36i., Decl. r i5"8*47"-2, 

 1900) was a variable of the Algol type. He afterwards deter- 

 mined the period to be 3d. 23h. 49m. 32s. 7. (Aslro. Xcuh. 3260). 

 It appears, however, that Dr. S. C. Chandler discovered the 

 character of the star's variability at the end of July, and com- 

 municaled his discovery 10 several other observers, who con- 

 firmed ii. The star was assigned the notation 6442 Z. 

 Hercules about the middle of August, the period having 

 previously been determined as 3d. 23h. 50m. Prof. Duncr 

 has found that the minima follow each other at unequal intervals 

 of forty-seven and forty-nine hours. There appears to be a 

 secondary miniuium which occurs a few hours previous to the 

 lime midway between two successive primary minima. 



The Polar Cais of Mars. — Several sketches of Mars, 

 made at the Juvisy Observatory, by M. Antoniadi, accompany a 

 paper by M. Flammarion in the current Complci-rciia'us. 'fhe 

 lii;ures show clearly the slow diminution of ihe snow -caps of 

 Mars during the summer of the planet's southern hemisphere. 

 The summer solstice occurred on August 31, and the planet 

 was kept under observation from June 1 to November I. The 

 following are the resulis of the measures of the diameters of the 

 cap at Ihe south |>ole of Mars, on different dates : — 



Diameter in kilometres. 



3900 



3000 



2520 



2100 



iSoo 



900 



660 



300 



Encke's Com LT. — Prof. M. Wolf has found Encke's comet 

 upon a photograph taken on October 31, that is, a day 

 before Dr. Cciulli's obicivation, noted last week {.4i/r. 

 Nailt. 3262). The comet has been observed by M. Perrotin, 

 and IS naid to be at the entreme limit of visibilily of the twenty- 

 eight-inch refractor of the Nice Observatory. 



STATISTICAL ACCOUNT OF FRENCH 

 FORESTS.^ 

 "V [ D.AUBREE, the Director of the French Forest Depart- 

 ' ment, has recently published a statistical account, up to 

 the end of 1S92, of ihe French forests which are managed by 

 that department ; and as these forei^ts, especially in the northern 

 and central parts of France, greatly resemble those which might 

 be grown in the United Kingdom, and of which some badly- 

 managed examples are still to be found, a short notice of this 

 work will be interesting to those who wish to know what are 

 the possibilities of economic forestry at home. 



The areas of the forests in question are as follows : — 



.Acres. 



Belonging to the State ... 2,691,165 



,, communes and public estab- 



lishments (hospitals, colleges, &c.) ... 4,738,637 



Total 7,429,802 



Or 11,609 square miles, one-eighteenth of the total area of 

 France, which is about 207,100 square miles. 



No account is here taken of the private forests in Fiance, 

 which contain about 20,813 .square miles, so that the area of all 

 the forests in France is 32,422 square miles, or 15^ per cent, of 

 ihe area of the country. 



Of the 7^ million acres of forest managed by the State, 18 

 per cent, of the Stale forests and 36 per cent, of the communal 

 forests are classed as unproductive or not stocked with trees. 



.\ larger proportion of the Slate forests is unproductive be- 

 cause the Slate is constantly acquiring waste lands in order to 

 prevent denudation of mountains by torrents, or the encroach- 

 ment of sandy dunes ; whilst land belonging to the communes, 

 &c., which is not fit for re.iftbresting, is not generally handed 

 over to be managed by the State Forest Department. 



Twenty excellent maps are attached to the report, and are 

 differently shaded so as to show the distribution of the forest 

 area among the different J.'partemcnts, according to ownership ; 

 mode of management (coppice, coppice-with-standards, high- 

 forest) ; annual degrees of productiveness — in material (cubic 

 metres per hectare) ; in money (francs per hectare) — and also 

 in oak and coniferous timber. 



From these maps and the slalement which precedes them, it 

 may be readily seen that the State forests are most extensive 

 north of Lyons, and especially in Lorraine, Bourgogne, Isle de 

 France, Normandy, le Bourbon nais, and that in these provinces 

 there are scarcely any unproductive areas, which chiefly occur 

 in the south of France. The communal forests are also chiefly 

 in the east of France, or bordering on the Pyrenees and in 

 Corsica; this distribution depends on political and not on natural 

 causes, for the climate of the west of France is very favourable 

 to forest growth, and this region contains some magnificent 

 State forests and large areas of loiests in private hands. As 

 regards the mode of treatment, the State forests are distributed 

 as follows : — 



Percentage of 

 tol.il area. 



Simple coppice ... .. 2'5 



Coppice-with-standards ... ... 29'2 



,, under conversion 10 high forest... ... i6'8 



High-forests 5r5 



The simple coppice belonging to the State is chiefly situated 

 in ihe south, where the Slate shares in the produce with certain 

 communes, or the inhabitants have rights lo fuel, which pre- 

 vent any improvement in I heir treatment, and they are generally 

 composed of Qii{nu> //<m, which yields tanning bark, and fire- 

 wood rather than limber. 



Coppice-with-standards is applied to large forest areas border- 

 ing on Belgium, and lo another series of Slate forests stretching 

 from the Jura towards Paris. These forests are generally 

 situated near large towns or the northern coal mines, and find 

 a ready sale for their somewhat branchy timber and underwood, 

 as building material, pit-props, firewood, &c., provided their 

 rotations arc long enough 10 exclude a large supply of charcoal 

 wood, for which the demands are being gradually restricted. 



A large area of coppice- withstandatds, which is remote from 

 large towns and the coal mines, is being converted into high 

 forest, to increase the supply of timber as compared with fire- 

 wood. 



I SlAtiftlique des forill toumises au r^zime forestier. Ann4! 1S92. Kx- 

 Irail clu liiillelin du Minisli^rc da jAgricullure. Parij : Imfrimirie 

 SationnU^ 1^9^ 



NO. 1307, VOL 51] 



