I02 TRANSACTIONS OF ROYAL SCOTTISH ARBORICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



On Monday morning a walk through the Schifferschafts 

 Forest from 8 a.m. till i p.m., with a rest in the afternoon, 

 formed the programme for the day. The term Schifferschafts 

 means a company of timber floaters, and at one time such a 

 company owned the forest area of 12,400 acres. Now, however, 

 one-half is owned by the Baden state. The woods are, for the 

 most part, on steep slopes, varying in elevation from 1000 to 

 3000 feet. The annual rainfall is 70 inches. Up to about 

 2300 feet the underlying rock is granite, and above this bunter 

 sandstone of lower, middle and upper formation. On both 

 formations the soil has a tendency to be acid in reaction, which 

 is rather detrimental to natural regeneration. To help to 

 counteract this and to improve the surface conditions a small 

 quantity of beech is added. Thus the crop as a whole is 

 composed of 95% conifers (silver and spruce fir), and 5 % beech. 

 The rotation extends to 1 20 years. Natural regeneration is carried 

 out very gradually. Regeneration is commenced at the top of 

 the wood, to prevent the necessity of fallen timber being dragged 

 through the young growth. Natural regeneration is effected 

 by the group or strip method, though the selection method is 

 also practised ; the cuttings take place at intervals of about ten 

 years. 



On the following day the Schonmiinzach State Forest was 

 visited. As the morning was rather wet the party drove in 

 brakes to the forest, a few miles distant. During the drive 

 the party was much impressed with the splendid condition of 

 the fine metalled roads in the forest. The whole forest area 

 is divided into compartments, all carefully numbered. In this 

 forest, as elsewhere, when there is a conspicuous difference in 

 age between two adjacent compartments, a broad severance 

 cutting is made between them. The trees of the younger 

 compartment which border on the severance cutting have 

 thus a chance to become gradually more storm proof before 

 the older compartment is clear felled. 



The strip system of natural regeneration is practised in this 

 forest, thus contrasting with the combined strip and group 

 system witnessed in the forest previously visited. The silver 

 fir can stand more shade than spruce, and it can be regenerated 

 under a denser canopy than most trees. It is, therefore, not 

 unusual to find on certain favourable spots, small groups of 

 fore-growth appearing before the regeneration cuttings have 



