36 FOKEST PLANTING. 



employees of the State. They would lose nothing financi- 

 ally by this change, while the money which formerly went 

 into the pockets of the unscrupulous dealers in the stolen 

 State property would flow into the State Treasury. 

 The price for logs which now, owing to those nefarious 

 operations, has sunk far below their real value, would 

 rise to such a degree as to give to the owners of the wood- 

 lands encouragement for introducing a systematic man- 

 agement of their forests, from which in the future an 

 adequate and permanent revenue would be derived. 



CHAPTER VI. 



FOREST PLANTING PREPARATORY AND PRECAU- 

 TIONARY MEASURES. 



IN order to obtain all the advantages of real forests, 

 the principal requirements are correspondingly extensive 

 areas. Forests have to protect not only themselves, bu-t 

 also their surroundings against the atmospheric influences, 

 and if a small forest shall perform this and contribute to 

 the welfare of the country, it has to be brought into a 

 proper connection with other wooded tracts. A forest 

 will not have been built up satisfactorily, unless each 

 tree is capable to protect his neighbor, and each wood lot 

 is enabled to afford protection from sun, rain, wind and 

 cold to the adjoining one. Only after this has been ac- 

 complished can a forest reach that state of perfection 

 which is necessary to make it profitable and of economic 

 value. To the simple farmer, who is governed only by 

 his personal interests, a tract of from 10 to 20 ao-res may 

 suffice for raising forestal products, especially if there is 

 a protected situation, and a regular rotation in cutting 

 and reproducing the forestal vegetation ; but this is a 

 wooded tract) and cannpt be called a forest. 



