Actual Topography at www.japanese-home-gardens.com

During this century, improved coring devices greatly enlarged the collective knowledge of oceanic sediments. The actual topography of the deep ocean has been revealed by echo-sounding using sonic or ultra-sonic signals. Scientists can calculate the depth of the water by noting how much time passed between sending the signals and receiving the echo.

The technical manager of rangeland must have at his command a complex methodology enabling him to foresee changes in vegetation and tendency toward soil erosion. He must be capable of estimating grazing capacity, which is a product of both the kind and the amount of vegetation. Capacity is also influenced by the amount and distribution of drinking water for the animals, the topography, and the length of the grazing season. To avoid overuse the manager must be able to appraise the utilization of forage at any time during the season. He must also determine the condition of the range : the actual production of forage as compared with the land's capability. The trend toward improvement or deterioration is also important.

The tendencies outlined above indicate the need for serious thought on the meaning of republicanism for the contemporary period. A republican form of government can in reality serve as the instrument for—open or concealed—dictatorship. Not the mere forms and institutions but their actual social content, the mentality and the actual situation of the people determine a free state.