Periodical Literature 527 



In his usual lucid and authoritative style 

 Increment Dr. Martin discusses the basis of a proper 



and regulation of the cut or budget with special 



Budget reference to the Prussian practice in the past 



Regulation and present. It will astonish most of our 



readers to learn, that the increment which 

 would appear the natural, permanent basis for determining the 

 possible cut or felling budget, and which should be cut unless there 

 are reasons for deviation, is not in actual practice of Prussian and 

 other State administrations used as such a basis; neither in the 

 past practice nor in the new instructions of 1912, does the incre- 

 ment appear as a prominent factor. 



An interesting historical account of the development of forest 

 organization in Prussia shows that there were three prominent 

 influences at work, namely Hartig, Pfeil, and Cotta. 



Hartig in his instruction of 1819 for the organization of Prussian 

 State forests, based on voltmie methods, did require increment 

 data to be ascertained and used as factors in budget determination, 

 and gave correct methods of ascertaining it. Practically, however, 

 this requirement was neglected, and altogether working plans which 

 did not work were the result of the volume method, on accoimt of 

 its ctmibersomeness. Pfeil's influence was inimical to the attempt 

 of lajdng down rules of general application, and espcially to the 

 ascertainment of and basing felling budgets on increment data, on 

 account of the wide variations which would be encountered. He 

 accentuated the localized and specialized conditions of increment 

 as inimical to its use for felling practice. 



Cotta's influence was indirect, in that Reuss, successor to Hartig, 

 in 1837, was his pupil and he it was who made the area the promi- 

 nent regulator of the cut, which to this day and in the new instruc- 

 tions remains so. 



While it is customary to point out differences in the Saxon and 

 Prussian organization, they are alike in this use of the area allot- 

 ment method, and now being satisfied with endowing the first 

 period only with a normal area allotment and a mere age-class area 

 statement for the rest of the rotation. 



Meanwhile, the experiment stations, in their normal yield tables, 

 have demonstrated the lawfulness in the progress of increment 

 (against Pfeil's contention) , and a satisfactory formula for its deter- 

 mination has been furnished by Schneider. 



