Forest Policy. 387 



portions, early attracted the attention of the new regime, 

 mainly on acconnt of their protective value. Annual 

 losses through iioods to the amount of four million dol- 

 lars, and similar losses due to unchecked forest fires, gave 

 the incentive to the passage of a law, in 1883, simply for- 

 bidding all forest use in protection forest, which, simple 

 prescription evidently did not work until a further re- 

 vision was made ia 1897. This latter does not confine 

 itself to legislation for protection forests alone, but also 

 authorizes the supervision of supply forests, under the 

 special control of the local governors. Under this law, 

 which also extended the assistance of local authorities to 

 would-be planters, aided by reforms in the corporation 

 system, remarkable activity in planting waste lands en- 

 sued, so that in the next two years not less than one 

 million acres of communal property was set out with 

 trees, numbering over 800 million, while in- the State 

 forests, some 300,000 acres of vacant land had been 

 planted by 1901. Some sand dune planting and re- 

 boisement works are also the result of this legislation. 



In connection with this planting, it may be of inter- 

 est to record the attitude of Japanese foresters toward 

 natural regeneration: "This is no longer popular ia 

 these days when the knowledge of forest management 

 possessed by foresters has become highly developed, for 

 if that method is the easiest and least troublesome, never- 

 theless it is not advisable, in view of the necessity of 

 effecting a thorough improvement ia our silvicultural 

 conditions. Only on steep slopes and for protection for- 

 ests is it applicable." 



In 1897, also, some eight experiment stations were 

 organized, in addition to the earlier one at Mshigahara 

 organized in 1883 by Matsuno. 



