Here is an opportunity which our vigorous and progressive magistrate has decided will not be allowed to bbe lost any longer than the growing of the trees will delay. Already, there are over 200,000 of these young, seedlings (Saplum sebiferum Condieberry) in the nursery Hsiang Chuan. As the richer waste Jands on the plain will produce larg-trees tian would be produced fon the mountains in the same time, he is beginning with the section immediately around the city and compelling the owners of vacant waste Places. to have "them fully stocked With these seedlings that are now on hand as far as they will go. 'The public vacant lands, in and srouna the city, he is having converted into a large nursery for these trees whicn will produce next year at least ten limes' what the Hsiang Chuan nur-serv is producing this year. In this way, the areas on the plain that are now' waste, will shortly be groves of Sapium sebtferum.
Then the large open spaces on the mountain can be tackled. Ten years from now, it is expected a revenue will come from. these trees. This reparation for laying the foundation for the industries of soap and candle: making, will not be allowed to inter-tore with the regular afforestation already arranged for on the mountains." AS was stated in an eai*ler letter, at Hsiang Chuan there is over million seeding Horse tail pines hich are to be set out this coming spring. But even that amount of seedlings set out every year would bea slow way of getting forests on all of these vacant hills." Protection of the sprouts that come up every year from the roots of the trees that Originally covered all of the ills, would soon produce native forests. For this reason, proclamations have been posted all over the hsien forbidding grass cutters to cut the volunteer young trees. This matter of issuing] Proclamations to the end in view is new thing, but what is new as far as this hsien ts concerned is that the proclamations have been followed up by police protection and by a constant education of the whole people as fo the value of forests. Fortunately, there is a young man in charge of the nurseries and prospec tive forests by the name of Chuen, who is 40 enthusiastic about his work: that were he wealthy he would gladly pay a sum yearly to be allowed to push this project instead of receiving small salary. He has produced a fine nursery, and he has followed up the proclamations of ihe Magistrate with! so. indefatigable running about that there int an inhabitant in aut mountain region can claim to ygwrant of the prohibition to eu the shoots of trees or to dig "19 the roots. Besides visiting all the pao changs (heads of hundreds of tarmtles) he nas palated in large characters on works in conspicuous places and on the walls of houses and temples such legends as "Tt Is prohibited to cut the shoots of! trees when you are citing!
grass"
prohibited to dig up the roots of trees"
"Whoever sets fire to the mountains will be severely punished"
prohibited to dig up the roots grass 2m tae mountains "There is no greater waste than to allow land that could produce frees lie waste."
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.