FORESTRY IN HUNGARY. 45 



mountains to Csorba, in our official programme, to which we were 

 obliged to adhere rigidly, as the arrangements made for us at all 

 points of our route would otherwise have been disturbed. Hence 

 we ran straight on to Lipto-Ujvar, following the course of the 

 Tekete Vag, on which we saw many rafts floating ; piles of timber 

 covering the ground near most of the railway stations. 



On arrival, we went at once to the house of the Conservator, M. 

 Kossanyi, Avho, after breakfast, drove us through some magnificent 

 forests of sj)ruce, silver fir, larch, Scots pine, and other trees, up 

 the valley of the Tekete Vag, which is extensively used for floating 

 timber, until we reached the commodious and comfortably furnished 

 forest house, occupied by the officer in charge of the division, M. 

 Adrianyi and his family, under whose hospitable roof we passed the 

 night. 



On the morning of the 10th we made an excursion higher up the 

 valley, stopping to look at some spruce, silver fir, Scots pine, and 

 larch nurseries, situated at an altitude of 2600 feet. The plants 

 are not only used in the State forests, but are also given gratis to 

 communes and private proprietors. The demand for them is said 

 to have been very heavy this year, all over the country ; and it is 

 estimated that, if the present rate of issue be maintained, the large 

 number of 25 million plants will be distributed from the State 

 nurseries. Prizes are given by the State to private proprietors for 

 successful planting operations. We noticed that the Scots pine 

 plants were very much larger than spruce of the same age ; and 

 that the latter appeared to flourish much better at the edges than 

 in the centre of the seed bed, probably because they had more light 

 and room. In planting on these hills it is customary to employ 

 60 per cent, of spruce, 25 per cent, of larch, and 15 per cent, 

 of silver fir. Scots pine is not much used. The plants are all put 

 out directly from the beds, without being previously transplanted ; 

 and the larch is planted at two years old, when it is found to suc- 

 ceed much better than if allowed to remain longer in the nursery. 

 The larch trees in these forests are particularly fine ; many of them 

 are 110 feet high, and the quality of the wood is said to be better 

 even than that of the trees grown in Styria. 



The logs felled at the higher levels are sent down on earth or 

 timber slides, to the bottom of the valley, whence they are drawn 

 by horses to the river side. At one point of the road, we noticed 

 that the base of the hill was apparently thickly studded with piles, 

 driven into the flat ground immediately skirting it. These turned 



