September 12, 1S88.] 



Garden and Forest. 



345 



Vitalbd), a widely distributed species of central and southern 

 Europe, and very similar in general appearance to C. l^irgin- 

 iana, but with white flowers, is, on the whole, perhaps, more 

 attractive as an ornamental plant. 



Auj^ust2oth. /■ 



The Forest. 



European State Forestry. 



THE State Department has done a good piece of work in col- 

 lectingin one volume the reports of oiu" consuls on "Fores- 

 try in Europe."* This volume contains a great deal of interest- 

 ing and valuable information, but, unfortunately, shows the 

 lack of an editor, who might have sifted the relevant from the 

 irrelevant, and by condensation and the avoidance of unneces- 

 sary repetitions might have brought out the prominent features 

 which are of value to the American student. There are also 

 found some misleading and sometimes erroneous statements, 

 which are due to misconceptions of the real situation on the 

 part of the consuls. 



This is, perhaps, not easily avoided, for it requires a consid- 

 erable and intimate knowledge of the conditions prevailing in 

 the different European states in regard to their forest manage- 

 ment — and the difference in these is great — in order to be able 

 to properly present the facts and to generalize from them. 



The ideas which in general prevail in regard to the activity 

 of the governments in Europe with respect to forestry are 

 more or less erroneous, and the present publication is hardly 

 apt to set them aright. 



There is a belief that the forests of Europe are mostly in the 

 hands of government, or at least under government control. 

 What is true for a very small part of the country is made to 

 appear universal, and thus the misconception arises. 



From a survey of more than three-quarters of the European 

 forest area, including that of Germany, Austria, Switzerland, 

 Italy, France, Spain, Russia, Sweden and Norway, we may 

 draw, then, the following conclusions as to the position which 

 .these states take towards forestry interests, and correct the 

 erroneous views existing in this respect. 



1. The governments, excepting in Russia, own the smaller 

 part, in many instances only a nominal area of the forest 

 lands — namely, altogether not more than si.xteen to twenty per 

 cent, of the total European forest area. 



2. Private individual owners enjoy their forest property 

 almost everywhere without interference on the part of the 

 government. 



3. Communities — villages, towns and cities — and "eternal" 

 corporations, like churches, colleges, etc., very often own lai'ge 

 tracts of forest land as common property. Over these the 

 state, in many cases, exercises supervisory powers, with a 

 view of preventing the waste and depreciation of this common 

 property, acting quasi as guardian or trustee, as in other cor- 

 porated interests. Wherever supervision of private forest 

 property is exercised it is almost always done only after full 

 demonstration that the common welfare, the interest of the 

 many as against the few, demand it, and full indemnification 

 for damage sustained is given in every case. 



4. The idea of State supervision in given cases where the 

 danger to the community from forest devastation or destruc- 

 tion is demonstrated, is not an old but a decidedly modern 

 one, having found expression in legislation only within the 

 last twenty to thirty years ; mostly within the last fifteen years. 

 While in all other directions of economic life European gov- 

 ernments are working towards non-interference and libera- 

 tion from government restrictions, in the question of forest 

 management the opposite tendency is developing, the neces- 

 sity for such government supervision on account of various 

 peculiarities of forest property and forest management being 

 more and more recognized. 



All European governments, without exception, have felt 

 themselves in duty bound to encourage and aid proper forest 

 management and all efforts at reforestation. This is done : 



{a.) By setting a good example in the management of the 

 forests belonging to the State. 



[b.) By offering an opportunity of acquiring the necessary 

 knowledge in forest schools and encouraging the employ- 

 ment of trained foresters. 



(c.) By aiding and encouraging reforestation, where it ap- 

 pears necessary, with active financial aid. 



It may be stated as of special interest to us that nowhere in 

 these States exists there a bounty system, and where it did 

 exist, as, for instance, in France, it failed to produce the re- 

 sults looked for ; while the supplying of plant material, free of 



* " Forestry in Europe." — Reports from the Consuls of the United States. 



cost or at the cost of packing and transportation, and encour- 

 agement by the advice and suggestions of forestry officers, or 

 a direct money expenditure for specific purposes of re- 

 forestation, have everywhere been practiced with gratifying 

 results. 



We also see that the conviction is gaining ground among 

 governments and private citizens, monarcliies and republics, 

 that the forests located in certain places serve a more far- 

 reaching and important purpose than that of mere supply of 

 material. Such forests, called protective forests, are, never- 

 theless, managed with a view of obtaining the material ; in 

 such manner, however, that the forest infiuence may not be 

 disturbed. Forest preservation, in the sense of keeping for- 

 ests intact and preventing the utilization of their material, is 

 practiced nowhere ; it is protection against damage and dev- 

 astation and proper management that is meant by forest 

 preservation. 



Washin-ton, D. C. B. E. FemOli.'. 



Correspondence. 



The Boston Public Garden. 



To the Editor of Garden anij Forest : 



-Sir. — There is so much tliat is good in the Public Garden 

 in Boston, and its possibilities of improvement are so great, 

 that it is incumbent upon any one who cares either for gar- 

 dening or for the best interests of the public to raise a voice 

 in criticism of its present condition in behalf of the lietter con- 

 dition to which it might so easily be brought. 



Its situation in the heart of the city, and in connection with 

 the Common, is fortunate. Its architectural surroundings are 

 more agreealtle than those, for instance, of any small park in 

 New York. Its surface is perceptibly, yet gently, modeled, 

 just as one would wish to have it. It embraces a pretty sheet 

 of water and contains many trees, which, although not yet of 

 very large size, are good and promising specimens. In short, 

 the l;)locking-out of the garden, so to say, is excellent, and if 

 the details ol' its execution were as good, it would be one of the 

 most charming urban spots in the world. But, it seems to me, 

 these details are so unfortunate, that it is a warning rather than 

 a model. 



For some of them the authorities now in charge are not re- 

 sponsible — for the stone coping which surrounds the water to 

 the injury of naturalness of effect; for the statues, which are 

 far from being satisfactory works of art, and for the bridge, 

 which is not only ugly in design, but almost big and heavy 

 enough to carry a railroad. These details it might lie difficult 

 to change. But something might l)e done to mitigate their 

 defects f the bridge supports and parapets might lie clothed 

 with vines, and the masses ol shrubbery around the pond 

 might more often be brought down over the coping to the 

 water's edge. 



It is, however, details of more recent origin, which most 

 seriously injure the beauty of the spot — details which come 

 under the head of gardening proper. Let us stand for a mo- 

 ment on the bridge and see what the outlook otters. 



Do we find unity or harmony in any direction ? I think no 

 fair-minded observer can say. Yes. The bridge itself crosses 

 the long pond about midway of its length, and forms part 

 of a straight walk which traverses the garden from west to 

 east. Winding paths diverge from this straight walk in all 

 directions, and the first thing we note is that there are far 

 too many of them, and too many wide, graveled spaces 

 where they intersect. Public convenience does not demand 

 so great an expanse of gravel, and beauty is greatly les- 

 sened bv the degree to which the lawns are cut up, and 

 unity and reposefulness of effect are thereby injured. Next 

 we 'notice that there is far too much color in the land- 

 scape. Green is the color with which nature paints a land- 

 scape of this soft, intimate sort, varying it with innumerable 

 shades, but always keeping the medium shades preponderant, 

 and using the lig'htest and darkest, and above all the brightest, 

 for accentuation only ; sprinkling it with the vivid hues of flow- 

 ers, but keeping these lilcewise subordinate to the general 

 soft, verdurous tone. Of course, in a garden man cannot 

 follow nature's example with strictness. As he must inno- 

 vate upon her disposition of surfaces, so he may uiion her 

 use of color, but never to such a degree that her ideal is 

 altogether lost to sight. Now, in the Public Garden, color is 

 much too profusely used, alike in the way of bright or varie- 

 gated trees and shi'-ubs, and in the way of brilliant low plants 

 and flowers. And it is also badly used. Look off towards 

 Boylston Street, for instance, and the most conspicuous object 

 is a group of trees on the edge of the water, a Golden Poplar 



