lOO TRANSACTIONS OF ROYAL SCOTTISH ARBORICULTURAL SOCIET\'. 



II. Visit to German Forests by the Royal English 

 Arboricultural Society — 1913. 



By A. T. GlI.LANDERS. 



The annual excursion of this Society was held in Germany 

 from the 8th to the 20th of September, and a more instructive 

 and pleasant trip it is impossible to imagine. The President, 

 Sir William Schlich, acted as guide. Sir William is a native of 

 Hesse Darmstadt, and in his younger days he was a student of 

 forestry in this district, and has re-visited it in company with his 

 students for the past twenty-five years. The party, which 

 numbered 90 in all, was made up as follows: — 17 landowners, 

 13 land agents, 31 foresters, 6 instructors in forestry, 9 members 

 of the Home and Indian Civil Service, 10 wood merchants, 

 3 forestry students, and i doctor of medicine who acted as 

 honorary medical adviser. The first night was spent at 

 Frankfort on the Main. 



On the following morning, the loth September, a visit 

 was made to the Mitteldick Forest, which belongs to the 

 Grand Ducal House of Hesse Darmstadt. The forest is situated 

 on a level plain near Frankfort and extends to 3763 acres. The 

 soil is of tertiary formation and is of a sandy nature, changing 

 here and there to gravel, and is very poor in mineral food 

 constituents, especially lime. Sections of the soil were cut at 

 intervals to show its quality. In examining these sections, the 

 party were much interested in the large numbers of a species of 

 Geotrupes or dor beetle, which congregated on the exterior of 

 the pit. 



The forest is composed of both pure and mixed woods, grown 

 only as high-forest. The villagers, as in many other parts of 

 Germany, have special grazing rights and liberty to remove 

 waste wood. The general crop was composed of — oak, 46 %, 

 occupying 1730 acres of total area; Scots pine, 26 ^ = 975 acres; 

 beech, birch and alder, 24 % = 901 acres; spruce, 4 % = 156 

 acres, making a total of 3762 acres. The rotations provided for 

 in the working-plan are — oak, 160 years ; Scots pine and beech, 

 120 years; spruce, 100 years. Wherever possible natural 

 regeneration is encouraged, but where surface conditions are not 

 favourable for natural regeneration, artificial cultivation is 

 adopted. The acorns of the oak (sessile preferred) are sown irk 



