22 TRANSACTIONS OF ROVAL SCOTTISH ARBORICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



is the origin of these beautiful oak woods, of which there are 

 1000 acres in one continuous block on the north face of the 

 Geiersberg, the highest point of the Spessart. Under the old 

 trees a great deal of beech has sprung up naturally, and in a 

 portion of the area beech underwood has been sown and planted. 



What I wanted to say regarding the management of the oak in 

 the Spessart is this : In all valleys which descend from this 

 mountain range are saw-mills, places where staves for wine casks 

 are split, and other wood-working establishments. The demand 

 for first-class oak timber is steadily increasing, and as the Spessart 

 supply is not sufficient to satisfy this demand, timber from other 

 parts of Germany and from Slavonia is brought to these saw-mills 

 in large quantities, to be cut up. The Spessart oak, however, is 

 the basis of this industry, which in these localities would come to 

 an end if that source of supply were exhausted. Hence the 

 Government of Bavaria have long ago decided to spread the 

 cutting of the mature oaks in the Spessart over as long a time as 

 possible, so as to maintain this source of wealth for the benefit of 

 the country. The old oak trees mentioned above, as having 

 sprung up after the Thirty Years' War, which are now about two 

 hundred and fifty years old, will, under this arrangement, not be 

 cut until they are well over three hundred years old. Until that 

 time arrives the trees of greater age will be cut, large numbers of 

 which stand scattered in the beech woods. At the age of two 

 hundred and fifty years the annual rings in the timber are barely 

 visible, and the increment is insignificant, in some trees, indeed, 

 it may be more than outweighed by the deterioration of the 

 timber. This is a case in which the increment of the standing 

 crop had long ago fallen below the rate of interest yielded by 

 Government securities. 



Year after year, therefore, the Government of Bavaria delibe- 

 rately sacriBces a very large sum of money, which might be saved, 

 if, instead of letting these old trees stand, they were cut, and the 

 proceeds devoted to the redemption of a portion of the national 

 debt of the country. On this question all parties in the Parlia- 

 ment of the kingdom are unanimous. They unhesitatingly 

 approve of the present system, which is dictated by a due regard 

 for the future wellbeing of the country, but which is not at all in 

 accordance with purely commercial principles. 



But I fear that the management of the Spessart may be con- 

 demned by you on other grounds. The glass-works have long 



