NOTES AND COMMENTS 819 



It should be borne in mind, however, that bottoms in which to ship 

 lumber are very scarce and insurance rates high, so that the increase 

 in shipments may not be stimulated to any marked degree. 



The new rules are as follows : 



(i) Neutral sailers: Timber may be imported from Canada and the 

 United States under provisions of an import license. 



(2) Deck loads: General license granted by Department of Import 

 Restrictions for import of timber as deck cargo from Canada and the 

 United States. In this case it is unnecessary for importers to apply 

 for licenses. 



(3) Prices: The order which limits prices of imported softwood to 

 those current during last week of January, 19 17, is not to apply to 

 timber imported from Canada and United States after July 19, 1917. 

 Timber so imported may be sold by importers at cost price delivered to 

 store, plus 10 per cent, provided price so calculated does not exceed by 

 one-third the price occurring during last week of January, 1917, for 

 softwood of similar quality in same locality. 



In February of this year the well-known German forester. Dr. Hein- 

 rich von Fiirst, died at the ripe age of 80. To American readers Forst 

 Director v. Fiirst was specially known on the literary side, as editor for 

 many years of the Forstwissenschaftliches Centralblatt and by its best- 

 known work. Die Pflanzenzucht im Walde, which experienced four 

 editions, the most complete work in German on nursery practice. He 

 was also responsible for the encyclopedia Illustriertes Forst- und Jagd- 

 lexicon, and for a revised edition of Kaushinger's Forstschuts. Among 

 his many shorter articles which excelled in clearness and objective 

 judgment, perhaps the most interesting to American readers is the con- 

 troversial essay on Plenterzvald oder schlagweiser Hochwald, in which 

 a careful consideration of the selection forest leads to its condemnation 

 in comparison with the uniform timber forest. For over 30 years v. 

 Fiirst was director of the forest school at Aschaffenburg. 



