fabbb's bssai. 57 



With these views M. Fabre uiged then the planting of trees, or the r^mser 

 ment of the movintains, and the protection of these throughout their growth. 

 He thus states his opinion : — "We have said that the destruction of the woods 

 which were covering the mountains, was the -primary cause of the formation 

 of the torrents. To destroy the effect, the cause must be exterminated. 

 Therefore, if there be still vegetable earth on the mountaius, it will be well 

 to leave these to become clothed again with wood, by leaving them in 

 fallow, and with a view to the same end, it may be well to remove eveiy- 

 thing which might damage the young trees. For this reason, most rigidly 

 should be carried into execution the laws relating to the prohibition of 

 goats, for it is known that the tooth of this animal is murderous to young 

 trees. It is not less essential to provide for the conservation of existing 

 woods, since these woods, which have kept the torrents hitherto from being 

 formed, are to us a sure guarantee that they will prevent the formation of 

 them in the future. 



" Clearings are the second cause of the formation of torrents. It is 

 necessary, then, that after having been too extensively tolerated by the 

 ancient laws, these should be restricted within prescribed limits. In con- 

 sequence, we consider, that ia this respect, they shoidd be conformed to the 

 following rules ; — ^First," a clearing ought never, imder any pretext whatever, 

 to be permitted on the slope of a mountain, which has less than three of a 

 base for one of vertical height> i.e. a slope of one in three. 



" Second, the clearance might be permitted on one of less declivity, but 

 only under the restrictioAS we are about to state. 



" Third, the clearance ought never to be authorised, but on the verge, or 

 in transverse horizontal strips, or on a level, or what is nearly such. 



" Fourth, in this case the strips of fallow should be separated from one 

 another by other strips, likewise horizontal or level, left uncultivated, on 

 which the wood should be permitted to grow. 



" Fifth, these uncultivated strips should be made to take the place of the 

 sustaining walls, prescribed by the law previously spoken of. It appears 

 that they should not be less than five toises, or thirty feet, in breadth, to 

 enable them, in case of need, to destroy a torrent which might be formed 

 on the strip of fallow above it. 



" Sixth, the breadth of the strips of fallow should be only five toises, or 

 thirty feet, where the slope ■ of the mountains may be one in three ; but it 

 appears that it may be increased with the diminution of the slope, until a 

 slope is arrived at, which leaves no cause of fear of the formation of torrents, 

 in which case the breadth may be unlimited. 



" Seventh and lastly, the clearings should in no case be permitted 

 without the authorization of the respective municipal authorities, and after 

 the specification and plan, which shall have been previously made by a 

 public official of what is proposed in each commune. 



" Every one must see that by some such regulation we may escape for the 

 future all the disasters produced by arbitrary clearings, almost sJways ill- 

 arranged, both as they affect the interests of the conmnmity and those of 

 the individual. -Nature is only the more active when aided by human 

 industry, and so in cases in which it is wished to hasten on, on certain moun- 

 tain slopes, the increase of woods, it would often not be bad to sow acorns 

 and beech-nuts, or seed of any species of trees which may be presumed to 

 be proper to the localities. There is more than one country where they 

 are quite accustomed to do so. 



