Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 9.djvu/412

 398 FORESTS For comparison, we quote from the most recent official abstract the Population, Area, and Acreage under Wood in the United Kingdom and various foreign countries, according to returns furnished by the agricultural and statistical departments of the respective countries. Top tion. Area (in English Acres). Woods and .Forests (in Acres). Propor tion of Wood land. Great Britain (1877) 20 07 284 55 802 360 2 187 078 3-92 Ireland (1S77) 5 412 377 20 327 196 1 328 413 1-62 United Kingdom, including^ Isle of Man and Channel &amp;gt; Islands 1877. .. ) 31,629,299 76,323,2031 2,515,491 3-29 Russia in Europe (1872) Sweden (1875) 71,730,080 4 383 91 1,244.367,3512 100 514 956 1 527,426,510 40 636 8S:&amp;gt; 42-38 40 43 Norway (1870) 1 74 000 77 527 766 1 17 290 000 2 -30 Denmark (1876) 1 784 741 8 572 029 ! 364 474 4-5 Prussia (1876) 24 643 623 85 834 703 1 20 047 014 23-35 Baden (187C) 1 507 179 3 726 080 3 1,337 ,767 35-90 Wiirtemberg (1870) Holland (1875) 1,881,503 3 865 456 4,786,1141 7761 58i 1,494,147 486 2 9 31-22 6 27 Belgium (1866) 4 827 833 7241 000 1 1 073^452 14-82 France (1874) Italy (1874) 36,102,921 26 801 154 130,675,286* 73 187 335 * 20,641,953 9 031 310 15-79 12-34 Austria Proper (1875) 20 394 980 74,176 000 23 284 174 31-39 Hungary (1875) 13 561 245 68 799 000 1 19 4 5 600 28-24 Switzerland (1877) 2 669 147 lo!223*,2814 1 905 407 18-64 United States (1870) 38 558 871 2095 600 000 ^ 1 Exclusive of lakes and rivers. 3 Exclusive of the Bodensec. 2 Exclusive of lakes. 4 Inclusive of lakes and rivers. Russia 42-38 p. c. Sweden 40-43 Hungary .... Prussia .. 28-24 p. c. .. 23-35 Belgium 14-82 p. c. Italy 12-34 Baden 35-90 .. 22-30 Holland. . 6-27, AViirtcmberg 31-22 Austria 3139 .. Switzerland. France .... .. 18-64 .. 15-79 .. Denmark 4-25 Great Britain 3 29 The discrepancies observable in these tables are in some cases apparent; thus the latest returns from Russia, Sweden, Norway, &amp;lt;fcc., are exclusive of sheets of water, whereas in the same returns the area of France, Italy, and Switzerland includes the lakes and rivers. Great Britain also now includes the Isle of Man and Channel Islands. In other cases the discrepancies are real, arising from the greater accuracy of information which has been collected through Government organizations, which did not exist when the estimate of Rentzsch was made. An entire comparison is unattainable, but it will be observed that the largest proportion of woodland is in Russia, Sweden, Germany, and Austria. The lowest occurs in Britain, Denmark, Holland, Spain, and Portugal. The physical history of every country proves incon- testably that a moderate extent of forest promotes in a high degree both its agricultural and its manufacturing interests, as well as the productive resources of the country at large ; and the beneficial influence of forests in a physi cal, economical, and hygienic aspect is now receiving more of the attention its importance deserves. The countries bordering the Mediterranean Spain, France, Italy, and Turkey have all suffered in a marked degree from the reckless and wholesale destruction of tho woods which covered the mountain slopes, and many springs which formerly existed under the shelter of the forest have now wholly disappeared. Though the insular position and moist climate of the British Isles save them from suffering from the want of forest in an equal degree with Continen tal nations, the Anglo-Saxon race has been slow to appre hend the value of the forests with which nature has so liberally clothed the earth, and the history of North America, South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand bears testimony to the same improvidence and need of considera tion. There can be no doubt that one of the causes of the terrible famines in India and China is the unwise denuda tion of mountain slopes, where the forests formerly ab sorbed a large portion of the rainfall which now quickly runs off to the sea (see CLIMATE). No point has been more clearly established than the salubrious and fertilizing effect of forest clothing in the climate of India. It has been the subject of much inquiry, and has been affirmed and demonstrated in reports from many districts. We propose in this article to indicate briefly the princi pal wooded tracts of the earth, so far as known, and to describe the systems of conservancy adopted or the preli minary measures taken for the better management of state forests. Timber trees and forest produce will be briefly enumerated, but for the distinctive flora the reader is re ferred to the separate article on each country. Forest science constitutes a separate branch of education in various countries of Europe. The first technical instruc tion was given in the Hartz forest, and Germany has taken the lead in developing a wise forest administration. France, Italy, Sweden, and Russia have successively es tablished forest academies, and now the conservation of woodland occupies the legislature of almost all civilized lands. The general systems of forest management in Britain and on the Continent are essentially different. Beautiful enclosures and plantations are seen in almost every part of England and Scotland. With the exception, however, of coppice wood and a limited extent of natural forest in the Highlands of Scotland, the system generally followed is to cut down the mature crop and to plant again. But on the Continent natural reproduction is the rule, not of wood coppice only, but also of high forest. In France the term of maturity for cutting a forest is determined with great care by a committee of skilled officers, and is usually divided into periods of so many years each ; the term for an oak forest, for example, say 150 years, is divided into five periods of thirty years. Each series of years represents so many blocks or portions of forest, and the yearly cut tings are arranged so as to cover a certain extent of ground, and when one block has been felled another reaches matu rity. France has a state department for the administration of the forests, and a very detailed code of forest laws (Code Forestier). The relation of woods to the regular drainage of the soil, and especially to the permanence of the con figuration of the terrestrial surface has been thoroughly investigated. The methods of resisting the encroachment of sands or dunes have also received special attention. In Germany forestry is eagerly followed as a profession, and forest academies are numerous and well organized. The examination of candidates is very strict, and the result of the system has been most beneficial. In forest science Germany is far advanced, and the literature is specially rich. Every tract is carefully surveyed and treated on a working plan made with great exactness as to actual details and expected growth ; care is always taken that in high forest there is a good stock of self-sown trees before the old crop is entirely removed. Systematic observation and experiments are made as to the rate of growth, and the best soil for each description of tree. In Italy, where the French and German systems have been tested, the principles of sylviculture adopted by Hartig, Cotta, &c., are not always applicable in the drier climate of the south. On the arid slopes of the Apennines pasture is more profitable, and there is as yet little sympathy with skilled conservation of woods Great Britain and Ireland. The British Isles were formerly much more extensively wooded than at present. The rapid increase of population has led to the disafforesting of woodland; the climate requires the maintenance of house hold fires during a great part of the year, and there has been an increasing demand for arable land ; these along with the extension of manufacturing industries have been the chief causes of the diminution of wood. The propor tion of forest is now very small, and yields but a fraction of the required annual supply of timber which is imported