SPORT AND SCIENCE ON THE 



the peasant, whose one concern is to lay by suffi- 

 cient food and money for the years when his crops 

 fail and starvation threatens him. 



The owners of the great forests in the high 

 mountain ranges are even more prodigal in their 

 ravages amongst the trees than the wood-owners 

 of the foothills. ^Yith utter disregard for the 

 future, large areas of timber are cut out, and 

 though the planting of new trees would be but a 

 simple matter, nothing is done to replenish the 

 stock. Immense areas of what was, but a few 

 years ago, extensive forest land, now lie bare 

 and brown, with scarcely a vestige of vegetation 

 left. Here again a sad lack of discrimination in 

 the size of the trees cut down is evident. Every- 

 thing that comes into the way of the woodcutter 

 is hacked doTvn, and if it is too small to be of 

 value is left where it falls. 



If North China is poor in trees. Southern Mon- 

 golia is absolutely destitute. Only in the Ordos 

 did we see any trees at all, and then they were 

 but stunted willows. The rich grasslands of the 

 Mongolian Plateau we were told were too exposed 

 to the cold blasts from the north for the cultiva- 

 tion of trees, but there must be some varieties 

 w^hich would stand the exposure. 



(a) Gymnosperms 



The bulk of the heavy timber in the forests of 

 Western Shansi is composed of conifers, chiefly 



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