Some Aspects of European Forestry. 147 



but that is not the reason. The reason lies in the old-fashioned 

 style of saw which has a wooden bow-shaped handle and, when 

 sawing on the up-hill side of a tree on a steep slope, this bow hits 

 th« ground if the cut is taken too low. 



Saxon foresters confess freely that they could not possibly 

 make the splendid financial showing they do were it not for a 

 perfect accessibility to a perfect market for every kind and piece 

 of wood that they raise. Theirs is a simple silviculture, but under 

 the Saxon conditions, it is undoubtedly a most successful one. 

 Aside from the money returns, this is evidenced by the high 

 volume yields which they secure. Reduced to an acre basis, these 

 are shown in the following table : 



YIELD TABLE FOR NORWAY SPRUCE (PICE A EXCELS A). 

 For one acre, fully stocked. 



The following statistics for all the Saxon State Forests give 

 further evidence of the high place which forestry has reached in 

 Saxony : 



Relation of age classes : 



i-^o yrs. 21-40 yrs. 41-60 yrs. 60 yrs. & over. 



24% 22% 25% 27% 



The growing stock has increased from 25,840 board feet per 

 acre in 1850 to 32,130 board feet per acre in 1900. 



The annual cut has risen frorn 17 cords per acre cut in 1850 

 to 25^ cords per acre cut in 1900, 



The value of timber nearly trebled between 1850 and 1900. 



