Miscellaneous. 



[January, 1912. 



Surveys.— The third section, dealing 

 with surveys, adopted only a series of 

 general recommendations, dealing with 

 the methods of official surveys, their 

 advantages and disadvantages, &c. 



Forestry. — Numerous papers were pre- 

 sented to the forestry section, which was 

 one of the most active sections of the 

 Congress. The nature of the discussions 

 is shown by the following general con- 

 clusions which were adopted : — 



The progress of agriculture and stock- 

 breeding requires, as an indispensable 

 preliminary measure, the reafforest- 

 ing, and subsequent conservation and 

 management, of all the mountainous dis- 

 tricts in the forest zone. 



At present the mountainous districts 

 fail to exercise their normal and flatural 

 action on the climate, the water systsm, 

 and the economy of the country. 



The forestry administration should 

 divide the mountainous districts form- 

 ing the forest zone into two main groups, 

 viz., protective and productive areas. 

 The freehold of all land included in the 

 area of protective mountainous districts 

 should be acquired by the State, and 

 immediate steps taken for a soil survey 

 and the reafforestation and management 

 of such land. 



The State should exercise technical 

 and administrative control over all 

 mountainous areas that are the pro- 

 perty of villages or public bodies. They 

 should be preserved, as being product- 

 ive though not protective, by the fact 

 of being included within the forest zone. 

 Over the remaining mountainous districts 

 included in the forest zone and held as 

 private property, the State should only 

 exercise a technical inspection sufficient 

 to ensure their proper maintenance and 

 improvement. 



The State should proceed to the 

 delimitation of the forest zone and to 

 the classification of the mountainous 

 regions included in it into protective 

 and productive areas, and declare them 

 of public utility. 



It was suggested that one of the most 

 important aims of the Congress should 

 be the conclusion of international con- 

 ventions as a means of arriving at the 

 formation of an international code on 

 the reafforestation of mountains. A 

 union should be established of the States 

 bordering on the Mediterranean for the 

 solution of the forestry problems of the 

 region. 



The various States, by example and 

 precept, by moral and material support, 

 and by fiscal immunities and legislative 

 provisions designed to attract private 



or collective capital, should promote the 

 maintenance and improvement of exist- 

 ing forests, the management as regards 

 forestry and grazing of mountains and 

 the reafforestation of waste lands. 



The State should, by various means, 

 increase the wooded area and maintain 

 and improve the Alpine pastures. To 

 this end it should strive to increase the 

 public forest area, and to stimulate the 

 formation of associations for the 

 purpose by attracting capital towards 

 afforestation, at the same time prevent- 

 ing undue exploitation. 



It will be necessary in connection 

 with rivers having an international 

 character, that the work should be 

 carried out on a method drawn up by 

 agreement among the countries interest- 

 ed, each engaging to follow the plan as 

 far as its financial resources and 

 circumstances will allow. 



Steps should be taken to popularise 

 the view that agriculture will derive 

 great benefit by the partial substitution 

 of forestry for cultivation where the 

 conditions are unfavourable for the 

 latter, by increasing, in dry regions, the 

 number of wooded pastures, and by 

 dividing arable fields by lines of trees at 

 right augles to the direction of the 

 prevailing wind. 



Arbour Days should be made general, 

 and should be given an educational 

 character, Societies for the promotion 

 of cree-plantiug and forestry should be 

 encouraged. 



Viticulture and Fruit Groiving, — The 

 fifth section of the Congress was devot- 

 ed to viticulture and wine-making, and, 

 in view of it's importance in the southern 

 countries of Europe, the subject natur- 

 ally attracted much attention. The 

 sixth section was devoted to fruit trees, 

 and also chiefly concerned itself with 

 fruits grown in Southern Europe, such 

 as the orange, lemon, and olive. 



Insects and fungi attacking these 

 trees were the subjects cf two imports, 

 and, taking as a basis the results which 

 have been attained in the U. S. A. by 

 the introduction of certain useful insects 

 parasitic on harmful insects, the Con- 

 gress expressed the desire that ento- 

 mologists in the different countries 

 should request their respective Govern- 

 ments to undertake the study and 

 classification of these useful insects, and 

 to facilitate the exchange of colonies of 

 these insects with countries where insects 

 which they destroy are prevalent. 



Live Stock.— In the seventh section 

 the feeding of cattle was the most import- 

 ant consideration. The Congress ex- 

 pressed the desire that the procedure 



