30 FORESTRY IN FRANCE. 



residence is at Niort, the two inspectors at Niort and Poitiers, the two in- 

 spectors adjunct, heads of the service, at Royan and, Sables d'Olonne; the 

 two inspectors adjuncts, heads of the cantonment, at Niort and Poitiers; the 

 two general keepers at Fontenay-le-Comte and AngoulSme. 



FOREST REVENUES. 



The forests of the State (of which alone we have any precise informa- 

 tion) bring in the XXIVth commission about 3 per cent, an hectare, those 

 which are in a productive condition. The forests of the downs (Royan and 

 Sables d'Olonne), about 8,500 hectares, produce as yet nothing of any con- 

 sequence. Private forests do not produce more than 20 or 25 francs per 

 hectare. The soil is very poor; the w^od is cut down too^young (14 years 

 old), while those of the State are not cut down before the^ are 20 years' 

 growth, and the cows and sheep graze in them too much. 



Forests are trained into lofty copses, copses under lofty trees and in lofty 

 trees. Private forests are trained into simple copses or in copses under lofty 

 trees. Forests, under forest laws, are in copses under lofty trees, and lofty 

 trees alone. Government has suppressed all privileges concerning forests ; 

 they can be mentioned merely as a memorandum. I have not yet been able 

 to obtain any information as to privileges and rights of usage in the other 

 forests, if there are any, with the exception of pasture. Let us observe that 

 as for commons' forests, it is restricted to the inhabitants of the commons or 

 section of owners of commons. There are no forest schools in the XXIVth 

 commission. 



The only causes of destruction of the forests that can be foreseen in the 

 XXIVth commission are culture, the encroachments of the sea, that of sand 

 (dunes). No serious damage ftas as yet been caused by insects. The 

 frequent culture for the first seventy years of this century has stopped the 

 erosions of the sea, and the evasion of the sand has been happily prevented 

 for the last twenty years by the planting of pines and the fortifying of the 

 downs. Fires are only to be apprehended in the forests of pines where 

 measures have been taken to prevent it by opening large cuttings, called 

 "gardefeu." 



The rooting up of forests has perhaps been the cause of the change in 

 the equilibrium of the climate. Forests under this point of view have per- 

 haps been the regulator of the climate. 



We are unable to furnish any information as to the planting of the downs, 

 sands and heaths in connection with the whole commission. The downs in 

 the XXIVth commission all belong to Government; about two-thirds, say 

 5,500 hectares, are planted afresh. In the Charente we have heard of no 

 application for replanting, although article 226 of the forest code exempts 

 of all tax for thirty years plantations of that kind, and the Government fre- 

 quently advances money for that purpose to private parties. 



The sources of supplies of timber are : i . The woods of the region for 

 a small part in consequence of the very high rate of labor and foreign con- 



