FORESTRY IN FRANCE. 35 



Consulate of the United States of America, 



Havre, France, February 22, 1887. 

 Director of the Forestry School, Nancy : 



Sir : I take a great liberty in addressing to you the present letter. The desire to procure 

 for my Government the information which is asked from me must plead my excuse. I am 

 sure none but yourself can assist and guide me better in it. In order to make myself well 

 understood I beg to enclose to you a list of the questions propounded by the United States 

 Government regarding forest culture in France. 



The Minister of Agriculture in Paris had the kindness to send me the following vol- 

 umes : 



1. Administration of Forests; Forest Statistics, Paris National Printing Establishment, 1878, 

 with preface by iV. Mathieu, sub-director of foresty school, Nancy, May 3, 1878. 



2. Forest Statistics by Cantonments, 1879; same author, Nancy, May 15, 1879. 



3. The Code of Forest Legislation, by A. Puton, Paris; J. Rothschild publisher, 1883. 



I have also found in the library of the city of Havre a statistical atlas of the Minister of 

 Finance, new valuation of the land revenue of France, land not built upon, Paris, 1884, in 

 pursuance of the law of August 9, 1879, made up to January I, 1879. 



The area of forests in France is given injthis atlas as 8,144,718 hectares, and new valua-- 

 tion 8,397,131 hectares, whilst, according to the volume stated above, it is given on January i, 

 1876, as follows: 



967,118 hectares domainial. 

 6,127,398 " private. 

 2,058,729 " departmental and communal. 



32,959 " public establishments or institutions. 



How is this difference to be explained ? 



I would also be much obliged to you for giving me information on the following points, 

 which I cannot find in the books in my possession : 



2. If pasturage is permitted, how are the trees protected ? 



4. Profits of forest culture ? 



5. Mode of planting trees? 



6. Destruction of forests; their cause and result? 



7. The solidifying (fixation) of sand dunes, and the planting of waste lands; also, whether 

 there are any special laws regulating communal forests outside of State legislation ? 



It goes without saying that I shall be happy to pay fpr the preparation of a short report if 

 you will be good enough to state the probable amount. 

 Please accept, Mr. Director, the assurance, &c., &c. 



F. F. DUFAIS, 



U. S. Consul. 



Nancy, France, February 24, 1887. 

 Mr. Consul: 



I could only answer your letter of the 22d February by a work which would demand 

 much time. 



As you possess the forest statistics of 1878, and the code of the forest legislation, which I 

 published in 1883, it will be easy for you to answer the questions propounded by your Govern- 

 ment. 



Not much importance is to be attached to the difference between the statistics of 1878 and 

 the valuation of the fiscal revenue of 1884 ; everything, in fact, depends upon the sense which 

 is given to the word forest. There are lands planted with brushwood, which some include in 

 forests and others not. 



I have much more confidence in the work of 1878, because I prepared it at that time 

 myself, with the assistance of Mr. Mathieu. 



