850 



AMERICAN FORESTRY 



AUAICAKIA IMIIRICAI.A 



A famnus specimen near Walzenliaiisen, canton of Api'Cnzell. AltiUiiie, 

 2,L'7:! fett. 



Finally, in the snulhcrn part of the canton nf Ticino, 

 in Italian Switzerland, the chestnut i^jruws in prufusion. 



While in early days the turester's ]irinci|jal task was 

 to dispose of the timher, to he a fairly sjckhI shot and to 

 keej) general order on his <l(iniain, the public has, since 

 the middle of the last century, hegttn to wake up and 

 with the realization of the immense value of the forests 

 came a general demand for a more thorough and scien- 

 tific instruction of the foresters. 



A forestry school exists in Switzerland since IS.").'), 

 making part of the Federal Polytechnic at Ziu'ich. From 

 l!S."),!J-72 the duration of the course was two years, from 

 1872-8V! it was two and one-half years, from l,s',s-^'-l!)()l) 



it was raised to three years, and since Uctober, IDiii), it 

 has been prol(inge<l to three and one-half years. This 

 theoretical course has yet to be completed by an obliga- 

 tory practical course of one and one-half years. The 

 duration of the entire course in the science of forestry 

 consequently amounts to five years. 



The timber production of the Swiss forests has 

 leached the comparati\ely high figure of lo.oiio.doo 

 francs a year. The average annual export amounts to 

 about .'J, OIK), lino francs, but there is still an amiual im- 

 l>ortation of wood for a])out :!ii,iM)o.oiH) francs. This 

 Somewhat surprisingly high import is e.xplained by a 

 continually increased demand for wood by the paper 

 industry, also by a nnich devel{.)ped building acti\ity. 



The statistics available concerning the average increase 

 of the Swiss forest cultivation do not yet suffice bv far 

 for ,in approximate \'aluation of the respective financial 

 leturns. J lowever, in all those cases, wdiere it has been 

 possible to investi,gate the question, the proposition has 

 pro\ ed itself a paying one. 



Thus it is shown, for instance, that the municipal for- 

 ests of Aargau produce an a\erage gross |)rofit of $14 

 per acre, those of Zurich, W'interthur and Alorat, $12 

 per acre, and the most recent statistics in the case of 

 W'interthur indicate a revenue of $14. ill) per acre. 

 Admitting that these are somewhat exceptional in- 

 stances, we nevertheless find that the general results of 

 the cantonal forests of Aargau and Zurich reach a gross 

 profit of $S per acre, while the richest state forests in 

 dermany scarcel)- e\er surpass a revenue of $.5,110 per 

 acre. The returns in the Jura and the Alps, where the 

 soil is naturally inferior, amount to $:!."i.') to $4. .SO p)er 

 acre. 



This steady and ever-increasing revenue yielded bv 

 the forests helps to reduce taxation in Switzerland to a 

 minimum. 



'i'he climatic and hygienic \alue of forests must also 

 be taken into consideration. No place becomes oppres- 

 sive from the summer's heat, or un[)leasant through the 

 winter's cold, if it is situated in a forest region. It is an 

 established fact that all the renowned Swiss health re- 

 sorts are in closest vicinity to woods and forests whose 

 purifying presence and wholesome fragrance act like a 

 tonic on the human s^'stem. 



Reforestati(.)n and forest planting require much jia- 

 tience at first, as it takes so long for a crop to mature, 

 but the results obtained in Switzerland will undoubtedly 

 in.duce other countries in time to adopt a similar system, 

 which makes the best possible use of land not suitable 

 for agriculture and wdiich at the same time has all the 

 climatic ami hygienic advantages pointed out above, 

 not to mention the natural charm, the scenic value and 

 the soothing effect of a stretch of dark-green, silent 

 forest. 



