848 



AMERICAN FORESTRY 



DAVOS, SVVITZICRLAXD, IX SLMMICK 



Sliowing the type of municipal and cantonal forests, some of the former of which produce an annual net profit of as nuich as $14 an acre, and 

 some of the latter yield as liigli at $>S an acre, which steady and ever-increasing revenue helps to reduce taxation in Switzerland to a 

 minimimi- 



However, only in tlu' eighteenth century was there 

 voiced a general demand for better cuUivation and pres- 

 ervation of the forests and in this respect the cantons 

 of Zurich, lierne and Aargau were the leaders, with the 

 others following after a short interval. 



The latest statistics of forestation in Switzerland sh<iw 

 that 'i'i.'7 per cent of the entire area of Switzerland is 

 covered with forests; 5-2. 1 per cent is devoted to agri- 

 culture and pastures and 25.3 per cent is non-productive 

 soil (rivers, lakes, roads, railways, building sites, rocks, 

 glaciers, etc. ). 



Of the productive soil in Switzerl.nid, .'lo. 1 per cent 

 i~ thus devoted to forests and •!'•>.<! tu agricultural pur- 

 poses. Statistics further show that about f'u per cent 

 of these forests belong U> individual \ill;iges or cities: 

 28.5 per cent are private property and -1.5 per cent onh 

 pertain to individual cantons. The ownershiii bv canton, 

 village or private persons shows a remarkable variation 

 in the case of each canton and we thus find that the 

 cantonal governments (if \'alais, Ticino, Orisons and L'ri 

 possess practically no forests. The biggest percentage of 

 forests owned by villages — 94.3 per cent — is however, 

 found in the \ alais. and the highest percentage of 

 private-owned forests — TS.S per cent — is to be found in 

 the canton of Lucerne. 



The most extensive forest conserv.-ilinn is fduiid in 

 the Jura region of Switzerland, in the cantons of Schafi'- 

 hausen, Aargau, I'.asel (Land), Soleure, lierne, Xeucbfi- 



tel and \'aud, where as much as (id per cent of the pro- 

 ducti\'e soil is devoted to fnrestation. \\'hile the high 



A GIAXT 



■riiis en.iimons wlnu- willow tree Isalis alha ) is close to the shore of 

 the l^afce of Ziiri. I . Switzerland, at an altitu.le of alioui 1.140 feet. 



