6o6 Forestry Quarterly. 



The railroad mileage of Prussia more than doubled from 1885 

 to 191 1, and that of German State roads increased 84 per cent, 

 to over 70,000 miles. The transport of wood more than trebled 

 to nearly 20 million tons. 40 per cent, of which was lumber. 



The expenditure on forest roads during the period was $5 mil- 

 lion, of which in 191 1 to 1912 alone $1.5 million, the expenditure 

 per acre of forest in this direction growing from 11 cents to 19 

 cents. Prices rose 80 per cent., from 4.2 cents per cubic feet to 

 6.8 cents ; pine logs in particular by 74 per cent. ; spruce by 33 i>er 

 cent ; oak logs in the last 6 years alone by 25 per cent. 



Owing to all these various influences, the gross income of 

 Prussian State forests more than doubled (162%), and the net 

 yield trebled, the former being now $5.cx), the latter $2.87 per 

 acre, so that with a total income of $21 million the forests next 

 to the railroads are the best revenue producers. 



And the age class distribution allows the expectation of still fur- 

 ther increases. Considering the increase of over 11 per cent, of 

 forest area (to 6,289,000 acres), the increase being largely of 

 poor lands planted up, and the increased cut in older age classes, 

 the percentic change of age class conditions is remarkably con- 

 servative. 



/ 11 III IV V VI 



Year Over 100 Si-ioo 61-80 41-60 21-40 1-20 Blanks 



1881 II. 3 13 14-5 18 19.8 19-7 Z-2 



1911 15.7 II. 8 14.9 19 18.4 17-9 3-3 



Regarding the possibility of increasing the returns, the author 

 says : "Even the opening of the Panama Canal and the cheapen- 

 ing of freights from the enormous forest resources of the Pacific 

 Coast States can reduce these expectations only for a short time, 

 since in the United States economic sustained yield, self denial 

 for the sake of the future, is not known, and their own con- 

 sumption will soon exhaust their stores." 



Of minor interest are the fire and game statistics. During the 

 first half of the period an average of 28 fires per year was ex- 

 perienced with 1375 acres, during the last half, 23 fires with 2,000 

 acres each year. 



High game (some 300,000 pieces) is reported as having in- 

 creased 50 per cent, since 1900, in spite of increased killings. 



