PROTECTION 275 



ber 1, 1824.1' It is a 2-year course with extensive field work in local 

 forests followed by a tour of all important regions. The ranger force 

 is educated at Barr^s (Loiret) where there is an extensive botanical 

 garden of exotic species. An excellent forestry course is given at (a) 

 the Institut Agronomique and at (6) the Ecole Polytechnique; students 

 enter Nancy after two years' study at (o) or (b). Guards are trained at 

 Nogent-sur-Vernisson (Loire et Cher). 



As part of the forestry education and propaganda system there are a 

 number of important societies " and associations which aim at protect- 

 ing and popularizing French forests. These have been arranged in 

 alphabetical order: 



(1) Acad6mie d' Agriculture de France, of Paris, is interested in all branches of 

 agricultiire and has a silviculture section which specializes in all general forestry ques- 

 tions, such as physiology, development of trees and stands, wood utilization, manage- 

 ment, reforestation, etc. It is interesting to see forestry made an integral part of 

 agriculture. 



(2) Association Centrale Pour 1' Am€nagement des Montagnes, of Bordeaux, special- 

 izes in restoring mountain areas by improving grazing lands, in creating woodland on 

 poor grovmd, and in reforesting mediocre grass land. 



(3) Club Alpia Frangais, of Paris, furthers the reforesting of denuded mountains. 



(4) Comitd des For^ts, of Paris, a syndicate of forest owners, has to do with the 

 improvement of private forest property, and especially its administration and exploiter 

 tion. 



(5) Soci6t6 des Agriculteurs de France, of Paris, entirely independent of the Govern- 

 ment, is active in aU branches of the theory or practice of agriculture and silviculture. 



(6) Soci6t6 Forestifire Franpais des Amis des Arbres, which has a section at Paris 

 and affiliated sections in the departments, conducts propaganda for the improvement 

 and the creation of forests, planting of fruit trees, and betterment of grazing lands. 

 It also supplies seed and planting stock to its members. 



(7) The Soci6t6 Forestifere de Franche-Comte et Belfort, of Besangon, aims to im- 

 prove technical methods and furthers reforestation on uncultivated land and grass land. 



(8) Soci6t6 Gay-Lussac, of Limoges, organizes a congress each year on "Trees 

 and Water." 



(9) The Toiiring-Club de France, of Paris, has a section of "Land and Forests" 

 which conducts an active campaign for preserving beautiful forests, reforestation, 

 reclamation of eroded mountains, and general forest betterments. 



PROTECTION 



Introduction. — The prevention of damage of all kinds must depend 

 on the practicability and cost of prevention. Logging operations result 

 in unavoidable damage and in war-time logging much of the finesse of 

 European methods had to be waived. But even in France most of the 

 damage is by fire, although only in the Provenge (chiefly from the 

 Italian border to Marseilles) and in the Landes and Gascogne is inten- 



" See Huffel, Vol. Ill, for further data. 



" This list was obtained for the writer by Captain Fresson. 



