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productiveness. That owned by private individuals, temples, etc., is still left largely to Nature, very little having been done to increase its utility. State and Crown together, however, own about 54,000,000 acres, while not more than one-half that amount remains in miscellaneous ownership. Of this last, about one-fifth is held by different communes, which, with the general spread of public cohesion, is much the same from an economic point of view as though it were under direct Imperial supervision.

These figures do not include Formosa, of which the Government has not yet made complete surveys, and, indeed, the matter of forest territory in Japan itself, as here given, should be accepted only as a general guide, the more absolute surveys not yet being complete.

Changes of ownership have been many in modern times, but going back to feudal days, the task of tracing titles is comparatively simple, the country at that time having been divided into 264 estates among as many lords, who had absolute power over the land. Taxes and forced contributions were paid in kind, and as the products of the forest were an especial ambition of the lords, means were always adopted for increasing the supply of trees. Thus, stringent orders were enforced for the encouragement of planting and for the interdiction of reckless felling of trees, while much was done for the general protection of forests. Change and the extension of ownership brought about a condition almost of anarchy in this matter, which, added to forest fires and wholesale robberies, badly crippled small sections of many districts. Increase of population also had the effect of reducing the wooded areas, as many as 3,700,000 acres having been cleared for occupation during the first twenty years of the Restoration. Since then, however, measures have been taken to plant new forests in accordance with Government plans, so that during the years between 1891 and 1901, although 1,061,000 acres were thrown open to cultivation, 1,400,000 acres were replanted in districts unsuited to farming, thus making a net gain of 339,000 acres to the forest area, without in any way adversely affecting agriculture.

Climatic conditions being so diverse in different sections, owing to the extreme length of the country from north to south, the variety of forest growth is almost incredible, and it is estimated that no less than 800 species and varieties of forest trees are well suited for culture in Japan, covering the indigenous growths of tropical, subtropical, temperate, and arctic climes.

Of the tropical growth, the banyan heads the list, followed by several species of the palm and bamboo, the latter being