DIVISIONS AND SUBDIVISIONS. 77 



is .to look Out for differences sufficient to separate one compartment 

 from another ; on the contrary, its aim is the very opposite, viz, to 

 bring together the principal features observed and portray the ge- 

 neral characteristics of each compartment. 



§ 1. Divisions and Sub-divisions. 



The crops of compartments adjoining one another occasionally 

 present only transitory differences, as regards, for instance, age, 

 density or species. These differences may sometimes be such as to 

 justify keeping the compartments separate with a view to their 

 immediate treatment, but without being opposed to their simul- 

 taneous exploitation. Once that is effected and the new generation 

 has occupied the ground, these compartments will have become 

 similar to one another, and may then be lumped up into a single 

 compartment, granting always that the aggregate area is not too 

 large for that purpose. While waiting for this to take j)lace, the 

 compartments may be maintained on the footing of Sub-divisions 

 in order to facilitate the work of the Am^nagiste in prescribing the 

 treatment, and that of the Executive Officer in carrying out the 

 prescriptions of the former. The single group of sub-divisions we 

 will term Division, which may therefore be defined as a portion of 

 forest comprising one or several different crop.s, destined to be re- 

 generated simultaneously and capable after that of foiming a homo- 

 geneous whole. 



The system of sub-divisions has once been much employed. At the 

 present day it has been all but discarded ; Forest Organisation seems 

 now a more simple affair. But because that system is cumbrous it 

 would be a mistake to give it up altogether, for cases occur, in 

 which the establishment of sub-divisions has its use, and without it 

 the Organisation Project would be imperfect and incomplete. 

 However it be, the fundamental condition that every division, seeing 

 that it is to be permanent, ought to satisfy is homogeneity of the 

 constant factors of production, viz., climate and soil. So also every 

 Organisation Project to be perfect must be based on natural divi- 

 sions of the forest. 



