66 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 
8 SCHWARZENBERG IN SAXONY AND VICINITY 
The town of Schwarzenberg, like many of the towns in the more 
hilly or semimountainous parts of Saxony on the northern edge of 
the Erzgebirge, has shown a wonderful industrial development 
within very recent years and a consequent increase in population. 
The city of Lauter increased in population from 5000 to 15,000 in 
fifteen years. 
The forest range about Lauter is under the charge of Oberforster 
Dittmann. Another home industry, quite as interesting as those 
seen in the Odenwald, is carried on to a large extent in this vicinity. 
This is the making of split spruce baskets. The only tool used is a 
strong-handled knife with which the villager splits the wood with 
the medullary rays, for strong pieces, or with the annual rings, 
for finer pieces. The smallness and uniformity with which spruce 
can be split with a sharp knife is truly remarkable. The bottom 
of the basket is first made out of thin strips and then the sides are 
constructed. At the top are used strips specially prepared for 
bending by drawing them between a wheel and a round billet of 
wood, in one direction only. The baskets are very light and measure 
about 4 feet by 4 feet by 3 feet deep, and sell for 18 to 25 cents 
each. They eventually find their way for the most part to dealers 
who ship in them straw hats, flowers, plants etc. The children of 
the family are taught this trade from earliest youth, but it appears 
that the main profit in this as in the beautiful lace made by the 
women of this region goes to the dealer or middleman. The spruce 
logs used in the home basket industry cost, delivered to the house, 
about $38 a thousand feet board measure. Different families pro- 
duce baskets of different sizes and quality, some of which sell as low 
as 3 cents. 
The city of Lauter owns about 6000 acres of land upon which the 
growing stock of timber has increased from 54,000 cords in 1847 
on one district to over 100,000 cords today. The other district of 
the city forests shows even a greater increase. 
On the hills above Lauter is the forest known as “ Burkhardts- 
wald,” facing the factories at Aue and Lauter. The rapid develop- 
ment of the industries at these places and especially the metal-ware 
industry, has played sad havoc in these woodlands. The former 
owners (city of Zwickau) took no protective measures but brought 
suit against the state of Saxony, which is part owner of certain 
dye and metal-ware works in the valley below and which was held 
responsible in a large measure for the destruction of the forests 
