178 LEGISLATION ON TOERENTS. 



Scotch fir, the black Austrian pine, the pine of Aleppo, the Corsican pine, 

 and the ailanthus, which have generally succeeded,— the larch, which has 

 failed in certain places because the ground was too damp and the elevation 

 too low, — and the acacia, which has failed when planted at too great an|[eleva- 

 tion, but has succeeded lower down. The Atlas cedar h&s been used in several 

 districts. 



" Deciduous trees, such as the white oak, the green oak, the Liege oak, 

 the chestnut, the willow, the white poplar, and the birch, have been success- 

 fully planted in several places ; shrubs, such as I'cemel, anchier, the sumach, 

 the hazel, &c,, have already aflforded good results in preparing the soil for a 

 stock of valuable trees. 



" Eemaeks. — It is well to attend to the indications supplied by Nature 

 in each locality, especially where there is any question of replanting 

 with shrubs or inferior vegetation. There is nothing to hinder a 

 trial of new essences, or kinds of trees, when this is made with 

 requisite caution. Thus, the ailanthus, recently tried in several 

 places, has everywhere yielded good results. The same can be said 

 of the Austrian pine, which almost universally succeeds in calcareous 

 soil, and at the most varied altitudes. It will be only after a 

 number of experiments that it will be possible to classify with any 

 amount of precision the kinds of trees, by regions and by zones of 

 altitude. 

 " In Germany, a mixture of Norway firs and larches is generally 



considered a good one. 

 " A mixture of oak and Scotch fir is also recommended at points where 



the former has a chance of succeeding. 

 " One cause of the failure in sowing larches is having placed the seed 

 at too great a depth. Larch seed should be covered very lightly 

 with earth. 



" Mode of Execution op Works op Eeboisbment. 



" After preparing the ground — in doing which, especially on the slopes, 

 great care should be taken not to disturb the soil too much — it is necessary 

 to proceed with the work of repeuplement, or restocking with trees. Opinions 

 are divided as to whether sowing should be preferred to planting, or vice 

 versa. 



" Many are inclined to think that sowing should be employed, as more 

 economical in temperate districts, where success is sure, but that planting 

 is to be preferred at greater altitudes. 



" There is, moreover, a mode of sowing, known as semis d, !a niege, which 

 has been several times employed successfully, and which will facilitate the 

 stocking of large surfaces at the smalj outlay of from 25 to 30 francs per 

 hectare. 



" Sowings of larch seed on the snow have several times succeeded in the 

 Hautes Alpes, and in the Basses Alpes, and it is proposed to make similar 

 experiments in these districts with other seeds. 



" When the ordinary mode of sowing is employed, it is advantageous to 

 sow early, that is to say, at the beginning of spring, so as to avoid the too 

 sudden effects of the summer heat. 



" Sowing by means of potets pincettes has appeared most suitable for 

 clothing uneven surfaces, or friable soil. The quantity of seed to be used 

 is calculated, on an average, at 3 hectolitres of mast per hectare, at 6 or 8 



