40 



PRACTICAL FOEESTKY. 



The pasturage of sheep in the Alps of southern France was the 

 chief cause of the destructive torrents with which the French Govern- 

 ment has been struggling for many years. The direct loss to the 

 French people has been enormous, and in addition the work of cor- 

 rection alone has cost upward of $35,000,000. Although wonder- 

 fully successful hitherto, it is still far from finished. 



Fig. 25.— Unforested watershed in the San Bernardino Mountains. Southern Calitomia. 



FORESTRY ABROAD AND AT HOME. 



FOBESTBY ABROAD. 



Except China, all civilized nations care for the forest. Until 

 recently the United States ranked nearly with China in this respect, 

 and our country still remains far behind the progressive modern 

 nations in nearly all that relates to the protection, preservation, and 

 conservative use of the forest. Japan has a well-developed forest 

 service and a national forest school. In Austria, Italy, arid Norway 

 and Sweden government forestry is a well-established portion of the 

 national life. Turkey, Greece, Spain, and Portugal give attention 

 to the forests. Russia, dealing like ourselves with vast areas of 

 forests in thinly peopled regions, but by methods wholly different 

 from our own, is drawing enormous revenues from the systematic 

 care and use of the forests. In Germany the scientific treatment of 



358 



