MANAGEMENT OF SCOTS FIR FORESTS IN NORTH GERMANY. 189 
ample proof of the importance of forest litter in the early stages of 
a plantation’s growth. 
The rotations adopted in the State forests for the Scots fir vary 
with soil and situation, from sixty years on the worst, to one hundred 
and forty years on the best localities, one hundred years being 
perhaps the most common. Fellings on the even ground, where the 
soil is pretty uniform, are made in long narrow strips, which run 
along the whole length or breadth of the compartment, and are 
about 50 yards in width, the length of the compartment varying 
from 600 to 800 yards, or rather metres, and usually having a 
quadrangular form. The cutting is usually commenced at the side 
of the strip, and the trees thrown with their crowns pointing away 
from the centre of it, so that the brushwood, etc., does not inter- 
fere with the throwers. The trees are cut about 6 inches above the 
surface of the ground, no chipping round being done or required, 
as “toes” are seldom-seen. The saw is put through as far as 
possible, a wedge driven into the cut, and the rest of the work 
done with the axe in a rough and ready style. Although the 
workmen appear to be less neat and expert with the axe than is 
the case with the British woodmen, they are very expert in taking 
out trees without injuring surrounding young wood in any way, 
although the thin crowns possessed by most of the trees render this 
less difficult than in the case of rough timber. The trees are cross- 
cut at various diameters, according to the class into which the 
timber is placed, while the tops and all branches up to 2 inches in 
diameter are sawn up into metre lengths, and stacked up into cords 
between posts, the larger pieces being split; the brushwood being 
stacked up also in the same way. All the trees and lots are 
numbered with an apparatus for the purpose, the former having 
the length and cubic contents also stamped on the butt end. The 
wood is sold by auction by the forest officials at some convenient 
inn ; the number, size, and class of the tree or lot being called out 
by an assistant in place of a catalogue. The timber is sorted into 
five different classes, according to the cubic contents, all trees being 
included in the first class which contain over 70 feet (true contents) ; 
and those that contain less, or not more than 18 feet, going into 
the fifth class. 
According to Schwappach,' the following prices are about an 
average for the several classes :— 
1 «*Wachstum und Ertrag normaler Kiefernbestande, in der nord-deutschen 
Tiefebene.” (Berlin, Julius Springe.) 1889. 
