206 France. 
In the facultative perimeters the state was simply to 
assist in the work of recovery by gratuitous distribution 
of seeds and plants or even by money subventions in some 
cases. It appeared hard that the poor mountaineers had 
to bear all the expense of the extinction of the torrents 
and much complaint was heard. In response to these 
complaints, in 1864 a law was passed allowing the sub- 
stitution of sodding instead of forest planting for at 
least part of the perimeters, with a view of securing pas- 
tures, but this method seems not to have been successful 
and was mostly not employed. By the legislation of 
1882, however, the complaints of the mountaineers were 
properly taken care of by placing the entire expense of 
the reboisement work on the state. The attitude of the 
mountaineers, which was at first hostile, due to the 
restriction of the pasture, has been overcome by the 
beneficial results of the work, and now the most hostile 
are ready to offer gratuitously their territory to the For- 
est Department. Wherever necessary the state has 
bought territory and from year to year has increased its 
holdings, and continues to acquire land at the rate of 
25,000 to 30,000 acres per year, the budget of 1902 con- 
taining $1,000,000 for this purpose. Altogether the state 
has, up to 1900, acquired 400,000 acres,-of which 218,- 
000 have been planted, and it is estimated that about 
425,000 acres more will have to be acquired. The total 
expense, outside of subventions to communities and 
private owners, so far has been $13,000,000, of which 
$5,000,000 was expended for purchases, and it is esti- 
mated that round $25 to $30 million more will be 
needed to complete the work. Of the 1,462 torrents there 
were in 1893, 163 entirely controlled, and 654 begun 
