The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1879-04-26
TIE PACIFIC
SATURDAY. APRIL 20.
THE FRENCH FOREST CODE.

P1g AA7
recently retained from a visit 10 Europe, afford.
some very valuable Suggestions
HoSoLULr, April II, 1879.
HIs TX. > g.. Wilder, Minister Of the Interior.
SIX khaTc the honor 20 submit to YOU a bricI
report Of facts relating to the French Administra-
ton Of Forests. collected by me during my late
visit TO Paris
In that great and enlightened country forestry
has been reduced to a science, so that the Forest
School at Nancy contains pupils from every
quarter OF the globe, and its system Of forest
legislation, though not suitable in all respects for
other countries, yet contains many provisions
worthy Of our imitation.
The exhibit Of the Administration Of Forests
IN the late Exposition at Paris was one OF the
most interesting IN the whole Exposition.
IL occupied an entire building on the east side
Of the avenue from the TTOcddero Palace 10 the
Bridge Of Jena, and gave ono a fair idea of the
subjects taught in the training school at Nancy,
and Of the works carried on by the Forest Ad-
ministratIon.
For example, 1t contained an extensive set Of
specimens oil different kinds Of wood, a very COM
plete Forest HerbaTium. a list Of trees and de-
scriptiOn Of their adaptations, and a special
berbarium Of the plants indigenous to the dunes
on the coast OF the Bay Of Biscay. There was
also n cabinet Of the parasitic fungi which iDjure
trees. | noted a collection illustrating forest
Entomology, comprising oil insects useful or
hurtful to trees, and specimens of wood and bark
showing the kind of injury done TO the trees by
different insects.
There vas a fine set Of stuffed specimens Of all
the animals and birds Of the French forests, and
extensive geological collections, particularly Of
fossil fishes and insects from the Lower Alps, as
well as minerals and shells from the sand dunes
OF the coast. Chemistry, as applied to forest
culture, vas illustrated by specimens Of soils and
ashes Of wood and leaves OF different species in
glass bottles. Mechanical teaching was Illus
Irated by a great variety Of tools and Of simple
manufactures from wood. besides plans Of bridges
and saw-mIIls and models Of - corduroy - log
roads, over which loads are drawn on sledges-
- chemiHs de SchHIIe."
There was a collection Of books on forest Gull
ture and legislation, and the reports and accounts
Of the Forest School in manuscript, which were
open to public inspection.
To illustrate the work OF the Commission there
was a magnificent Forest map OF France, indIcat-
ing the woods belonging to the State and those
belonging to private individuals, and a special
one Of the forest Of FOntainebleau.
The work Of the Forest Administration is
naturally divided into two parts:
First-The Re-woOding Of the Mountains.
~Second-The Fixation of the Dunes or moving
sand-Eills OF the coast.
These operations were illustrated by magnif-
cent maps and models and by photographs.
For example, there were maps and models OF
the Torrent du Bourget in Savoy, exhibiting it
rs it was before and after the work Of the Com
mission. There were models in relief Of the
Torrent du Laon des Bas in the department of
the Haute Garonne. and Photographic views OF
the same, showing how the slopes have been
re-wOoded, how denudation has been stopped and
the destructive effects OF the freshets checked.
Several other valleys in the Lower Alps were
yiyidIy represented in the same way, which gave
n better idea OF the operations Of the Commission
than any mere description could do.
In regard TO the other branch Of its work, the
dunes, there was a model IN relief of the COubre,
on the coast Of the Bay Of Biscay, and maps oil
the dunes Of the COubre and Gironde as they
were in 1902, in 1862, and again in 1877, show
ing the great improvements effected by the Com
mission. There was also exhibited a collection
of seeds of the plants used for fixing the sands,
and descriptions of the same, as sea pines lure,
- gent, . - ALA. " - gOubet, &c.
10 regard To these dunes, allow me to quote a
dissiuouished French savant, NJ. Reclus. lie
saws - These dunes, according &c Bremontier,
were advancing at the rate OF from - TO z
yards per aDnum. Thus we know that the
church Of Leze was rebuilt IN l4oO and IL 1000,
the first time at ? Is miles and the second time
at two miles farther inland. As to the now
vanished towns of Lislan, LelOs and many others,
their ancient situation - unknown
L. il certain, however, that all these dunes were
originally covered with forests, from the unanin-
Gus testimony Of ancient geOgTaphers. Unhappiiy
these fine forests were nearly all destroyed during
the Dark Ages, either by barbarian invaders or
imprOvident lords or by the peasants themselves.
Even IN tue last century the King OF Prussia,
Frederick William |, being IN want OF money
Eauetl Llc ADEErl " HAANo W 70 0S" 1890
extended from Dautzig to Pillau. The operation
brought him in 2OO, 900 crowns, but the conse-
auence was that the moving sands invaded the
great inland bay, destroyed the fisheries, OBJ
structed the nayigable channel, buried the de-
fendinz fOrtresscs, and changed in the most
y~cxatious manner the photography OF all those
parts. . The great engineer Bremontier
applied himself to the task of fixing the dunes OF
GasSOny in 1857. The works were suspended IN
1903. but commenced again in the carly part OF
- -.s.-- ~ a,nuIasaH aome wears aOO- The
dunes of Gascony, fixed for the future, enrich the
lands which they formerly threatened to bury,
and one must reckon the annual increase OF
uublic wealth at hundreds Of thousands OF francs
At the same time the sand protected from the
suns rays by the shade OF the pines produces
herbs which are utilized as straw or food for
cattle. The marshes which dnTing six months OF
the wear were transformed by rain water into
impenetrubIe morasses, have been drained with
out the intervention OF man, by the millions oil
roots constantly sucking up the moisture from
the sands. Thus science has repaired the dis
orders formerly caused by mans imprudence-
KEcLUs on DENUDATIoS.
| cannot forbear quoting the anne authors
graphic description OF the deHudGtiOH caused by
the destruction Of the woods. lie says
- In the mountains Of DauphiDy and Provence,
the slopes, most Of which arc now 50 bare, were
once covered with trees and various plants, which
kept back the surface water resulting from rain
or melting snow. by absorbing a great part OF the
falling moisture, and thus retaining the coating
OF earth over the beds of erumbling rock. Dur
inc the course Of centuries the trees have been
cut down by greedy spectators and by ~senseless
farmers who wished to add a few strips OF land
90 their fields in the valleys or to their pastures
on the SUBMITS, but when they destroyed the
forest they destroyed the very land it stood on.
.sThe rain or snow being now no longer kept
back upon the slopes by the roots OF the trees,
descends rapidly into the valley, driving before 1t
ell the debris torn from the side OF the mountain.
The tooth of the goat and the sheep helps to lay
bare the roctIets Of the herbaceOus plants and the
brushUOod bit by bit the whole OF the thin
coating of earth is removed, tine pare rock snow
itself. and deem rayines are followed out in the
cliffs and are traversed in the rainy seasons BY
furious torrents which once did not exist. Ths
water which once used slowly to penetrate the
earth, conveying ie~rtilizing salts to the roots o.