58 TRANSACTIONS OF ROYAL SCOTTISH ARBORICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



ownership of forests has, as well for the communes themselves 

 as for their inhabitants. The inhabitants of our eastern 

 communes thoroughly appreciate the fact." 



Apart from such things as water supply, or hygienic influences, 

 the fact that a township owns woodlands, open to the public, 

 attracts tourists, which is not without a practical value, and 

 provides a pleasure-ground for its own people. When a 

 municipality owns woods worked upon a regular sanctioned 

 plan it has a property of which the capital is not touched, but 

 only the interest. They see the value of this in Belgium, where, 

 in the ten years 1896 to 1905, the communes bought 5246 acres 

 for about ;^54,3oo. 



It appears that now-a-days there are many instances of the 

 purchase of forests by States, communes, or public bodies, and 

 in this connection the words of M. Hiiffel, a very experienced 

 Professor at the Nancy Forest School, may be quoted — " In all 

 countries people are becoming alarmed at the rapid impoverish- 

 ment of private forests. The simplest and surest plan for 

 stopping this is that the forests should be purchased by 

 imperishable proprietors, notably the State. Several countries 

 have resolutely started on this road. The Bavarian Government 

 has recently bought a forest of 7400 acres in the Palatinate, 

 paying roughly ^112,500 for it. The Prussian forests were 

 increased by 35,849 acres in 1907, and that Government spent 

 p^2oo,ooo in that year in buying forests. The Wurtemburg 

 State forests have increased from 464,800 acres in 1870 to 

 483,727 acres in 1909." 



A steady purchase of such properties as, from time to time, 

 come into the market on favourable terms, and are situated 

 sufficiently near to supply the local market or town without 

 interfering with the extension of building, would appear to be a 

 peculiarly suitable investment for a municipality. But it is 

 permissible to hope that perhaps the State will make a start 

 on its own account before very long, and appoint a Board, or, 

 preferably, a single person, under a Government Department, 

 and allot a modest annual sum to be spent on the purchase and 

 upkeep of woodlands. It would be the business of the Board, 

 or official, to look out for suitable chances of purchase, and then, 

 as time passed, the Government forests would steadily increase, 

 and become more and more valuable. At present chances 

 innumerable are lost, since there is no one whose business it is 



