BROAD DIVISIONS 29 



power for the manufacture of war necessities on its own initiative, but 

 also secured the cooperation of private hydraulic companies. This de- 

 velopment will probably decrease the use of coal and fuel wood during the 

 next decade. 



Commerce. — Being in the main a self-supporting country, France 

 carries on most of her trade within her own borders and ranks below 

 Great Britain, Germany, and the United States in volume of exterior 

 trade. 



Goverament. — The principles upon which the French constitution is 

 based are representative government (by two chambers), manhood 

 suffrage, responsibility of ministers, and irresponsibihty of the head of the 

 State. France is divided into 86 administrative departments (including 

 Corsica), or 87 if the territory of Belfort, a remnant of the Haut-Rhin de- 

 partment, be included. These departments are subdivided into 362 

 arrondissements, 2,911 cantons, and 36,222 communes. (See Alsace- 

 Lorraine, p. 495.) 



FOREST REGIONS 



Broad Divisions. — The forest regions of France may be divided into 



two broad divisions — the plains and the mountains. As might be sup- 

 posed, conifers predominate in the mountains and the broadleaf species 

 in the plains. In this latter region there are ravines and hills but the 

 maximum altitude does not exceed 1,970 feet. The winter season lasts 

 4 to 5 months, the vegetative season 7 to 8 months. In the mountains 

 the winter lasts 7 to 8 months and, at altitudes of 5,900 to 6,560 feet, the 

 snow remains until June 15, and begins to fall shortly after the middle of 

 September. There is no spring or fall — only winter and summer. 

 Naturally this results in rapid growth with very regular rings, as opposed 

 to the somewhat irregular growth in the plains forests owing to the varia- 

 tions of climate during the growing season. The forest divisions of 

 France (as distinguished by Boppe) are: 



1. Plains — 



(a) Parisienne: (1) West, (2) Center, (3) East. 



(b) Gironde: (1) Oaks of Adour, (2) Landes, Gascoyne. 



(c) Provengale. 



2. Mountains — 



(a) Vosges: (1) Lorraine plains, (2) Basses-Vosges, (3) Hautes-Vosges, (4) (5) see text. 

 (6) Jura: (1) First plateau, (2) Second plateau, 1,640 to 1,968 feet, (3) Third plateau, 

 2,625 to 2,953 feet (4) Haute-Jura. 

 (c) Alps: (1) North, (2) South. 

 id) Central Plateau: (1) North, (2) South, 

 (e) Pyrenees: (1) East, (2) Central, (3) West. 



