192. TIMBERS AND THEIR USES 



two classes of students, those who wish to serve 

 as forest inspectors and those who wish to study 

 forestry for their own benefit. 



The course of study embraces the languages 

 and literature of Italy, Prance and Germany ; 

 botany and zoology ; physics, chemistry, geology 

 and agriculture and their applications to forestry; 

 topography and surveying ; forest management 

 and working, including sylviculture and reaf- 

 forestation work and forest legislation, with the 

 elementary principles of the general law. 



The decay of the forests in many parts of 

 Italy has become a matter of grave pubHc con- 

 cern. It may be traced to several causes, but 

 unquestionably the prime cause has been the 

 large increase of population during the present 

 century, and the practice of occupying for 

 tillage the poor and scanty soil on hillsides and 

 other elevated situations formerly covered with 

 trees and shrubs. This disregard of a great 

 natural law, in stripping the hiUs of their tree 

 cover, produced the same evil effects as in 

 Prance, the denuding of the crests and slopes 

 being followed by landslips, torrents and 

 devastating floods, while the accumulation of 

 immense masses of debris in the valleys caused 

 great damage to arable and pasture lands. 

 Other causes of decay may be found in the 

 reckless clearing of seed trees, and the ravages 



