176 LEGISLATION ON TOERBNTS. 



of taking into consideration on each demand, the amount of the 

 subvention to be granted. A maximum cannot therefore be fixed. 

 As regards the communes, the Administration intends, where 

 required, to consider the subventions voted by the General Councils 

 of the departments as a direct participation in bearing the expense 

 of the works. 

 " Several employes have given an opinion that subventions ought to be 

 offered in preference to proprietors whose land is included in the perimStres, 

 so as especially to encourage reboisements of acknowledged public utility. 

 " Eemaeks. — The law grants subventions in oases of sanctioned reboise- 

 ment, and in cases of compulsory reboisement; the Administration will 

 proportion in both these cases the amount of the subventions to the 

 expected result of the enterprise, regard being had principally to the 

 public interest. 



" Method of Caebting on Operations. 



" Nurseries. — ^After different opinions had been expressed in regard to the 

 extent which should be given to nurseries, it was agreed that this should 

 depend on the yield of the nursery and the extent of territory to be reboised. 

 " There were various opinions expressed upon the point, whether it would 

 be better to form great central nurseries which would cost less and be more 

 easily superintended, or to form a great number of small nurseries scattered 

 over the district to be reboised, which would have the advantage of placing 

 plants more within the reach of the districts to be re-wooded. 



" Eemaeks. — The chief effect of establishing large central nurseries in 

 close proximity to the great populous centres, is to attract public 

 attention, and by degrees to invite the proprietors of waste mountain 

 land to reboisement, by the facilities which are offered them for pro- 

 curing all that is needful for the operation. Nurseries of this kind 

 can also be better and more cheaply taken care of. At the same time 

 nothing is absolutely fixed on this point, and there is no reason to 

 prefer one system to the other. 

 " There were also diverse opinions expressed in regard to how nursery 

 ground should be selected. Some thought that nurseries ought to be 

 formed on the best soil of the district to be reboised, so as to produce 

 healthy plants. Others were of opinion that nurseries should be formed 

 where there were average conditions of climate, fertility, and altitude, so as 

 to produce plants which would run no risk of dying from a too rapid change 

 when transplanted. 



" From the same view, an opinion was expressed that in general it was 

 not good to manure the soil ; but that in cases where manure appeared 

 necessary to pulverise the soil or to repair its losses, vegetable compost 

 should be used, and more especially that which was collected in the woods. 

 " Rbmaekb. — If the nursery can be placed where the soil is good and at 

 a moderate distance from the districts to be reboised, it will evidently 

 be of advantage to the State to become its proprietor. There are 

 nearly always dangers in fixing the position of a nursery, if care be 

 not taken to stipulate in the leases the guarantees necessary to pro- 

 tect the interests of the State. There is reason to believe that in 

 most oases the purchase is of greater importance than the situation, 

 since the State can always, when necessary, sell the land which has 

 been improved by culture, when it becomes useless as a nursery. 



