156 THE FOREST LANDS OF NORTHERN RUSSIA. 



agricultural zone, the 60th parallel, or that of St. Peters- 

 burg, marking generally the line of division between them. 

 It is the former alone with which we are here concerned ; 

 nor does the whole of it come under our cognisance. We 

 have only to do with the forests in the Governments of 

 Olonetz, Vologda, and Archangel, embracing the central 

 and western portions of the zone. 



With the forests of the Governments of Olonetz, Vol- 

 ogda, and Archangel, might be described the forests of the 

 Governments of Viatka and Perm, but the exploitation of 

 these, and more especially of the latter, is so affected by 

 the demand for fuel used in connection with mining opera- 

 tions in the Ural Mountains, that with perhaps equal pro- 

 priety they might be brought under consideration in 

 connection with those of Eastern Russia. From the men- 

 tion of this it will be seen that it is not in ignorance of 

 this fact that they are not brought under consideration 

 here. 



It has been frequently remarked that if we note as we 

 ascend a lofty mountain range the vegetation through 

 which we pass, there are successive zones of these, varying 

 in the kinds of plants by which they are characterised. If 

 from the base of some lofty range of mountains in a 

 tropical land, which, not withstanding the high temperature 

 in the plain, have their summits covered with perpetual 

 snow, we ascend to this cooler region, we shall find vegeta- 

 tion of one kind giving place by degrees tropical plants 

 giving place to others, and these again to others, and such 

 changes repeating themselves till at length we meet only 

 with lichens and mosses and their allies. And like changes 

 in the vegetation might be observed if we journeyed from 

 the equator to either pole, representative of the successive 

 zones on the mountain. Of this successive disappearance 

 of different kinds of plants, as a mountain rises in altitude, 

 Lapland supplies many illustrations. Baron von Buch 

 writes : 



' It is extremely entertaining to climb great and rapidly 



