NOTES ON A VISIT TO SWITZERLAND AND GERMANY. 311 
and between the beacons the line is kept open by a clear 
space about 2 metres wide. From time to time these boundaries 
are cleaned, that is, all the undergrowth is cut away. The 
beacons are cut from sandstone slabs, and are often painted 
white, and have the district number in black letters on the 
sides facing the compartments. The internal compartment 
boundaries follow the same natural divisions, or consist of 
cleared lines. 
From what has been said about the Murg valley, it will be seen 
that the forest on the whole is on steep, sloping ground, except 
the plateau on the top. Up to an elevation of 650 to 750 
metres (2130 to 2460 feet), the geological formation is granite. 
Above this level the granite is overlaid with old red sandstone, 
and in both instances the soil produced by the weathered rock 
is of very good quality. The height above sea-level varies 
from 320 to 1064 metres (1050 to 3490 feet). The climate on 
the whole is favourable. In winter there are heavy falls of 
snow; the summer is warm, and the rainfall heavy. Late 
spring frosts sometimes damage the shoots of the beech and the 
silver fir, but early autumn frosts seldom do any harm. Some 
injury is done by snow-breaks in winter, but not to any large 
extent. The trees that suffer most from this are Scots pine and 
spruce. The snow-covering in winter protects the silver fir 
from frost. Wind-falls occur frequently. The population of 
the town of Forbach and the surrounding villages is entirely 
dependent upon the wood industry. As has already been said, 
the little agriculture that is possible is carried on by the women 
in the various villages, while the men are employed in the woods 
or in the saw-mills and paper-mills. The forest is intersected by 
an excellent system of roads, drag-paths, and rides. Along the 
valley, near the river, the State road runs, and the forest roads 
are connected with it at intervals all along its course. The 
forest roads have been carefully constructed, at a cost of from 
24 to 8 marks per metre (2s. 3d. to 7s. 4d. per yard), and they 
are kept in excellent condition. The drag-paths are of two 
kinds ; those suitable for dragging timber in winter, when the 
ground is covered with snow, and not very steep, and those for 
summer use, which are constructed in the same way as those 
for winter use, but have a steeper gradient. The paths are 
fairly numerous, and thoroughly open out the forest. The 
rides penetrate the forest in all directions, and the gradients 
