APPENDIX C. 369 



tected merely for the sake of preserving some cover on the hill tops. 

 The group comprises all parts which produce an annual increment 

 per acre of 7 cubic feet and under ; they amount to 10 per cent, of 

 the total area. 



In so far as the management aims at the production of valuable 

 material, and at favourable financial results as regards outlay for 

 artificial regeneration (where natural regeneration has failed), for 

 improvement, tending, etc., only the areas in the _first group can be 

 considered. But in the treatment of those forests which pertain to 

 the principal mountain region of the Black Forest, representing a 

 certain drainage area, the task of forestry goes beyond mere financial 

 considerations. It has in fact been recognized that it is necessary 

 to keep areas of this class well wooded for the sake of a proper 

 husbanding of the water supply in the streams. Accepting this 

 further task, the forest administration has endeavoured, during the 

 last 50 years, to afforest the poorly stocked and frequently entirely 

 bare areas at the higher elevations of the Bunter Sandstein region. 

 In so far as the cultural operations were confined to the boulder 

 drifts of the Bunter Sandstein, they were moderately successful, but 

 the cultural attempts made in the " Grinden " prior to 1870 turned 

 out failures. Since 1873 the cultural operations in the Grinden 

 present a more hopeful aspect, owing to the experience gained by 

 former failures, and it seems desirable to continue them in the 

 future. 



The working plan deals in detail only with the forest area subjected 

 to intensive management, but the group worked under the selection 

 system has also been adequately noticed in the general provisions. 



The working plan lays special stress upon the execution of 

 improvement fellings, more particularly the removal of cancerous 

 silver firs. For this purpose the ordinary thinnings are utilized ; 

 but over and above these, cancerous trees must also be removed 

 from the old woods, where otherwise no further thinnings would be 

 required. In regeneration fellings the trees to fall first under the 

 axe must be those attacked by cancer. Even then not nearly all 

 cancerous trees can be removed during the next ten years. This 

 fact teaches the management that in future a sharp attack must be 

 made on all cancerous trees at the time of the first and second 

 thinnings, even if a temporary interruption of the canopy should 

 thereby be caused. On the rich deep soils of the granite area, which 

 are almost exclusively concerned in these remarks, even an interrup- 

 tion of the canopy extending over a somewhat lengthy period would 



VOL. III. B B 



