48 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 
1 THE PINERIES OF EBERSTADT NEAR DARMSTADT 
The forest range of Eberstadt consists of both town and state 
(Hesse-Darmstadt) forests, some 2500 acres, under the direction of 
Geh. Forstrat Joseph, an elderly man of kindly and delightful 
personality. The activity of the state in buying up odd or unpro- 
ductive strips of privately owned land has resulted in the same 
policy by the town of Eberstadt, so that there are few privately 
owned forests here. Natural seed regeneration of the Scotch pine, 
which is the principal tree here on the sandy plains of the Rhine 
valley, has not done well. This is in striking contrast to the pineries 
of Ysenburg, 20 miles north, where the luxuriant natural regenera- 
tion is depended upon almost wholly for reforestation. 
The rotation at Eberstadt is approximately 120 years, at which 
time the larger trees attain an average diameter, breast high, of 12 to 
16 inches. The cuts are made in winter and in the succeeding winter 
the ground is dug over to a depth of about 14 inches, the best soil of 
the forest floor being turned under and the poor sand from below 
placed on top. This will force the roots to go deeper for their food. 
In April, one year old seedlings of Scotch pine are planted, and be- 
tween the rows, in May, potatoes will be cultivated. This method of 
“tongya” gets rid in a large measure of the weeds and soil fungi 
which might be harmful to the young pine, especially Hysterium 
pini. At the time of the logging operations there were left stand- 
ing, in the majority of cases, about eight of the best trees to an acre, 
to run through the next rotation as “ veterans.” In addition to the 
increment yield of these trees, which takes place practically without 
injury to the growth of the next rotation, the price increment of 
these veterans rises from a stumpage value of under $40 to over 
$60 a thousand. 
The cost an acre of reforestation at Eberstadt is: 
sroudigrovier the Soils. nse aoee ib nr eos a eee $27.50 
Horsplants: and ‘plariting bs 2c455 che ckecsee hoe eevee 10.50 
Bonaporatoesivis attic, kites ee puter! be ete yon: 6 eer oe 4.00 
For planting and cultivating potatoes............... 6.00 
For weeding, paris-greening, etc..............s00.. 8.00 
Making a total gross expense of............... $56.00 
About 1400 pine seedlings are planted to the acre and about 6 
hundredweight of potatoes are used on each acre. The net returns 
from the potatoes usually average about $20 an acre, which leaves 
a net planting expense of $36 an acre. Adding this to the value 
of the land, which is here as high as $100 to $150 an acre, to obtain 
