DEPAETMENT OF GAED. 279 



event, would be the effect of reboisement in the mountains'! M. de Mardigny 

 thinks that reboisement in the C6vennes would be of no effect ; he seems 

 to consider the Ardfeche as one of those extreme and desperate oases, to 

 which man, mastered by the elements, can only meet their fury with 

 resignation." 



Whether it be so remains to be seen. 



In the department of I'Ardtehe operations are being carried on in several 

 p^rimetres, amongst others in these — Boree, Montpezat, La Champ, Bapha(!l 

 and Laviolle, which conjointly comprise an area of 2,155 hectares. 



Sect. VI. — Department of Sard. 



In the department of Gard operations in some ten or more p6rimfetres, 

 one half of which, those of Ponteils, Malons, Concoules, Dourbies, and Br^au, 

 cover an area of upwards of 4,000 hectares. 



Of Ponteils, it was reported in 1869, that " this p6rimetre lay between 300 

 and 1400 metres of altitude, on the flanks of the Mount Lozfere, the higher- 

 lying region of the basin of the river Ctee, which is an affluent of the Rhone. 



" The area of it is 741 hectares 93 ares, of which 654 hectares 93 ares 

 belong to the commune of Ponteils, and 87 hectares to private proprietors. 



" The soil, pertaining to the granitic formation, is deeply ravined by the 

 different ramifications of the torrents which roll their waters into the Ctee. 



" The restoration of these lands having been declared of public utility by 

 a decree of date 13th January 1864, the works were begun in the spring of 

 that year ; and they have been prosecuted without interruption from that 

 time onwards with the most hearty concurrence of the population. 



" The State undertook directly the reboisement of the most elevated portions 

 of the p6rimfetre, measuring 451 hectares 87 ares. The different sections 

 of the commune of Ponteils remained charged with the works on the 

 remainder of the ground, but subventions were granted to them both by the 

 Treasury and by the department. 



" From 1864 to 1869 there had been subjected to reboisement or reffazonns- 

 ment 262 hectares 60 ares, viz : — h. a. 



" On communal lands at the expense of the Treasury alone, 113 



" On communal lands at the expense of the commune, with 



subventions from the State and from the Department, 131 70 



" On the lands of individual proprietors, with subventions 



from the State, . . . . . 17 90 



"Total, . . . . 262 60 



" The half of the area might be considered as completely restored ; it 

 required further only works of maintenance. In the remainder of the 

 extent, which corresponded to the higher-lying lands of the p6rim6tre, the 

 works had still to be made complete by new plantations. 



" There had been employed 4990 kilogrammes of seed of resinous trees, 

 210 kilogrammes of seed of broad-leaved trees, (acacia, ash, chestnut, and 

 oak,) and 1,500 kilogrammes of f6nasse. There were planted, besides, in 

 all, 81,000 young resinous and broad-leaved trees, and there were constructed 

 91 barrages, and on an extent of about 70 hectares there were pruned, with 

 a view to recovering their vegetation, old trunks of chestnut trees. 



" Exclusive of indemnities granted for deprivation of pasturage, which 

 amounted to 1,221 francs, the whole expense of the works hod been 22,016 



