NOTES AND QUERIES. ,,_ 



an area of over 1,000,000 acres of virgin forest which cannot be 

 exploited until tapped by a railway. 



The cut-over area of jarrah is about 530,000 acres, of karri 

 about 150,000 acres. Jarrah is being depleted at the rate of 

 about 60,000 acres per annum; of karri, present leases having 

 been practically cut over, no more can be cut pending the opening 

 ot new forests. o r 5 



Sweden's New Forestry Laws. 

 Mr F.S. Clarke, secretary of the British Legation at Stockholm 

 records in his report on the trade and finances of Sweden that a 

 series of laws for the better preservation of woods and forests in 

 the country came into force on ist January last. Among the 

 principal provisions of these new measures are : That timber on 

 private properties is not to be felled in a measure detrimental to 

 reproduction, and that the soil is not to be treated so as to hinder 

 the fresh growth of trees; that the felling of timber in woods 

 exposed to the action of shifting sands is to be under official 

 control; the creation and organisation in certain districts of 

 forest boards," with officials to whom various functions are 

 assigned; that leases of forests are not to exceed 50 years, and 

 that where timber is concerned the leases are to be limited to 

 5 years. The total area of forests in Sweden in 1902 was 

 computed to be some 80,000 square miles, of which about 

 13,000 square miles belong to the State.- r^. Timber News 

 and Saw-mill Engineer, March 26, 1904. 



The Forests of Poland. 

 In spite of the Forest Preservation Law, which came into 

 force in 1898, the area under forests in Poland is steadily 

 decreasing. The total area under forests in Poland is now 

 7,358,607 acres, of which 29 per cent, are Government property 

 62 per cent, belong to large estate owners, and the remainder to 

 peasants and small holders. Of this, only on the forests belong- 

 ing to Government, and on some few of the larger estates is 

 replanting properly carried out. The proportion between 'the 

 area of forests and the number of inhabitants in Poland is only 

 o'68 acres of forest per head, whereas in Central Russia the 

 proportion is 27 acres per head. 



