Periodical Literature 173 



In Japan, different from China, as well as 

 Japanese other countries, the forests have had more 



Forestry or less care in their exploitation from olden 



times. At first the priests protected them 

 while making lucrative use of the timber. After a period of 

 warfare and devastation, the great shogun Tokugawa (1603) in- 

 stituted a forest management in the province of Kiso, which, 

 €ven now, contains the largest and best forest area. 



At that early age, forest culture was encouraged in peculiar 

 ways, as by allowing peasant planters to bear a family name, 

 which otherwise was a right reserved to the Knights or Samurei. 

 In 1870 the large forest properties in the hands of the priests 

 were incorporated in the State forests and a forest system, 

 modeled somewhat after the German, was introduced in 1880. 



At present the forest area comprises nearly 90,000 square 

 miles or 59 per cent of the total area (omitting Formosa), large- 

 ly mountain country ; State and Crown own two thirds of this, 

 private owners hold 26 per cent, and 7.5 per cent are in com- 

 munal ownership. 



Reforestation was begun by the State in 1875 and, since 1895, 

 lias progressed upon a systematic plan, so that by 1901 nearly 

 250,000 acres had been planted, largely with conifers. The 

 rapid development of industries, but still more the growing ex- 

 port trade, has necessitated an increased cut, which in later 

 years has been around 2.5 billion cubic feet or 384 cubic feet per 

 acre, undoubtedly an overcutting. The export in the decade 

 previous to 1903, represented over 25 million dollars, against 

 an import of about 3 million dollars. 



Some 60 species, from sub-tropical hardwoods to conifers of 

 the cold zone, form the flora, among which the genera Crypto- 

 meria, Chaniaecyparis , Thujopsis, Pinus, Larix, Zelkova, Quer- 

 £us, Castanea, Cinnamomum furnish the most valuable species. 



No'.e in Allgeuieine ForsI- uud Jagdzeitung, April, 1906. p. 143. 



A reprint from Dr. Hess' biographies of 

 Oyie German foresters, recalls the great ser- 



of the vice which Gustav Heyer has rendered to 



Masters forestry science. He, with Pressler and 



Judeich, was the founder of the soil rent 

 theory and elaborator of forest valuation and forest statics on 

 strict mathematical and scientific basis. His essay on the rela- 

 tions of trees to light and shade, forms the foundation of modern 



