i86 



NA TURE 



[December 21, 1905 



proximity of Africa and the Seychelles being relatively few. 

 The marine fauna and flora was markedly richer than even 

 at Coetivy. 



Of other work, we have taken about sixty dredgings off 

 the islands we visited down to more than 800 fathoms, and 

 tow-nettings at various depths to more than 1000 fathoms. 

 We have consequently rich collections, but obviously no 

 estimate of them can be at present formed. We have also 

 serial temperatures in a series of positions, and water 

 samples have been taken throughout down to various 

 depths. Magnetic observations have also been secured at 

 intervals along the line between Madagascar and the 

 Seychelles. 



As we are now leaving H.M.S. Scalar!;, I would like 

 to express our great indebtedness to Commander Boyle 

 T. Somerville and every officer and man on board for 

 their great kindness and most cheerfully rendered assist- 

 ance to Mr. Forster Cooper and myself. Nothing has 

 seemed too great or intricate or small for them to under- 

 take, from a complicated survey to the repair of delicate 

 instruments or dredges. The weather throughout the 

 voyage — the season chosen was governed by considerations 

 relating to hurricanes — has been, generally speaking, most 

 unsuitable and unpleasant, but work has nevertheless gone 

 on almost continuously. All regular survey work, sections 

 across the islands, sounding-., magnetic, tidal and tempera- 

 ture observations, &c, have been done by Commander 

 Somerville and his officers. Mr. Beer, the artificer 

 engineer in charge, and his staff have been indefatigable 

 in eking out the coal, on which our movements necessarily 

 depended to a large degree, and in effecting the not in- 

 considerable repairs connected with such a long cruise 

 away from regular ports. The artificers (carpenter, black- 

 smith, and armourer) have never failed over the varied and 

 unusual work which they have at times been called upon 

 to undertake, and, finally, every individual hand has been 

 splendid in giving of his very best to assist the expedition 

 to success, J. Stanley Gardiner. 



FORESTRY IN BELGIUM. 



T 



HE Royal English Arboricultural Society paid a visit 

 to the Belgian forests on August 12-22. The 

 Belgians, like ourselves and all other European countries, 

 except Scandinavia, Russia, Austria, and some of the 

 smaller States near the Black Sea, have insufficient wood- 

 lands to supply the timber that is necessary for their re- 

 quirements. In 1S40, Belgium imported 187,920;. worth 

 of timber, but in 1893 tne imports were valued at 

 4,077,880/., together with about 1,200,000/. of wood-pulp 

 and other articles manufactured out of wood, such as 

 matches, gun-stocks, masts, furniture, bark, &c. The 

 annual exports of wood from Belgium are now valued 

 at 600,000/. only, so that there is an annual deficit of 

 timber production in the country amounting to more than 

 5,000,000/. 



The Belgian Government is dealing with this deficit in 

 the most statesmanlike manner, bv using all available 

 means for increasing the production of timber, by improving 

 the management of the existing woodlands, and by planting 

 their waste-lands. 



The areas of woodlands in Belgium, according to the 

 agricultural statistics of (895, are as follows : — 



Nature of proprietor 



State 



Communes 



Public establishments 



Private owners 



Total 



62,600 



395.455 



17.380 



828,300 



'.303.735 



The area of forests in Belgium is therefore about one- 

 sixth of the total area of (he countrv. 



The small area ..I the Belgian State forests is chiefly 

 due to the fact that, between 1815 and 1830, when the 

 country was united to Holland, the Government sold all the 



State forests, and the present area of State forests has 

 been bought back from private owners through the wise 

 policy of the first king, Leopold I. ; this has been continued 

 recently by the present Government, which purchases suit- 

 able private woodlands whenever they are for sale. 



In 1850 there were the following areas of waste-land 

 in Belgium ; I have not been able to obtain more recent 

 figures : — 



State 



Communal 



Private 



17,140 



145.207 

 4 2 3.3 22 



Total 



NO. l886, VOL 73] 



585.7 2 9 



Since 1897 the State has been acquiring waste-lands and 

 re-planting them, 212,960/. having been so invested up to 

 date, and land to the extent of 15,317 acres having been 

 acquired and planted. 



The State has no power of compelling communes to plant 

 their waste-lands, but important subsidies are granted by 

 the State to encourage them to do so. The Forest Depart- 

 ment also organises annual sylvicultural conferences with 

 the object of inducing communes and private owners to 

 utilise their waste lands. This has been so successfully 

 managed, that in the province of Luxemburg, where there 

 were in 1847 126,000 acres of waste-land, by the end of 

 1887 only 42,000 acres of waste remained in the province, 

 the balance having been converted into 49,000 acres of 

 arable land and pastures and 35,000 acres of woods. 



In the space of this short article it is impossible to do 

 more than give a mere sketch of the interesting wood- 

 lands recently visited by the Royal English Arboricultural 

 Society in Belgium. It would interest British municipali- 

 ties, such as those of Liverpool and Leeds, that are engaged 

 in planting the catchment areas of their waterworks, to 

 see the immense tract of woods that cover the catchment 

 area of the Gileppe, a stream rising in the Ardennes 

 and feeding a large reservoir, constructed between 1869 

 and 1898, to supply water for the population that carries 

 on the extensive woollen industry in Verviers and the other 

 hamlets lower down. The planting with spruce of the 

 Hautes Faynes, or peat district of the Hertogenwald, at 

 altitudes between 1600 and 2160 feet, which is being 

 carried on at the rate of 1000 acres annually, is a vast 

 and highly original work, the rapidity and excellence of 

 which merit careful study. 



Plantations of Austrian pine on the very dry and hot 

 Devonian limestone rocks, near Rochefort, supply valuable 

 wood as pit-timber, and afford shelter and increased 

 moisture to the neighbouring farms. The domain of 

 Mirwart, belonging to an Antwerp family named von der 

 Becke, and managed by Dr. Schlich, where millions of 

 spruce and other trees have been planted to replace 

 32,000/. worth of inferior timber that was cut out between 

 1892-1902, was also visited. Here, forty acres of Scots 

 pine, now thirty years old, has already yielded in thinnings, 

 since [891, 11/. per acre net, while in another eight years, 

 when the whole will be felled as pit-timber, it will yield 

 64/. per acre, or a total return, including thinnings, of 

 75/. per acre. 



The domain of Chenoy, belonging to Mr. Boel, con- 

 tains magnificent beech, oak, and ash standards over 

 coppice. The underwood is sold as pit-timber. Oak 

 trees containing 100 to 140 cubic feet (solid measure) 

 are not uncommon, and some of the ash standards are 

 quite as large. These trees sell standing at 2s. and 

 2S in/, per cubic foot. Abeles (Populus alba) up to 80 feet 

 in height are not uncommon, and sell at ml. per cubic 

 foot. It is a curious feature of these woods that when- 

 ever the aspect is south or west, the poor Tertiary sandy 

 soil (Bruxillien), from which the fertile superficial loam 

 has been washed, will yield only pines or birch, while 

 immediately the aspect changes to north or east, and the 

 loam remains in situ over the sand, splendid broad-leaved 

 woods are produced. In the valleys, Silurian rock crops 

 out from below the sand, all the usual intermediate strata 

 being absent. There we saw a considerable area of Scots 

 pine wood, about forty years old, the trees of which are 

 being pulled up by their roots by a machine, " La 



