CONTINENTAL NOTES GERMANY. 229 



extent the pine and spruce are indigenous to the Lueneburger 

 Heide ; and secondly, what were the forest conditions when the 

 conifers were first artificially introduced on a large scale. 



It would lead us too far were we to follow Zimmermann's 

 investigations in detail, but the numerous documents consulted 

 and cited, many dating back to before 1650, render it evident 

 that both pine and spruce are indigenous in a considerable 

 portion of the heather tracts of North-West Germany ; and 

 that, at some time, they encroached naturally on the then 

 existing forests of broad-leaved species. The northern portions 

 of these natural pine forests reached well within the areas in 

 which the present calamity rages, and as regards these, at least, 

 there can be no question of adverse climatic or other general 

 conditions inherent in the locality. In the northern parts of 

 the Lueneburger Heide conifers were evidently not indigenous : 

 but it is proved, by the existence of numerous isolated old 

 forests, that this cannot be accepted as being an effective 

 barrier against their artificial introduction. These pine forests 

 are scattered all over the country, and flourish on a great variety 

 of situations and soils. 



The history of the extensive mixed forests, mainly consisting 

 of beech, hornbeam, and oak, which at one time covered a 

 considerable portion of the Lueneburger Heide, as elicited from 

 the very complete documentary evidence still in existence, is 

 sad reading. Once again we need not follow Zimmermann 

 through the vast number of documents he studied and quotes, 

 but we briefly summarise the chronicle of the ancient Stueve 

 Wald in the Harburg district, as representing the state of affairs 

 throughout the length and breadth of the country. 



In the middle of the seventeenth century this forest, although 

 already considerably reduced in size by numerous settlements, 

 still contained some 30,000 morgen of fairly well-stocked mixed 

 forest. In 1680 the Government still derived some benefit 

 from it, and spent money on its amelioration. However, during 

 the next twenty years or so, the exercise of entirely un- 

 defined rights, on the part of thirty-one communities, had 

 got absolutely beyond control. The wasteful extraction of 

 timber and the general maltreatment of the forest was such 

 that the stock of mature timber became entirely exhausted 

 during the earlier part of the eighteenth century. The fact 

 that the Government abstained for years from felling on their 



