Development of Silviculture. 61 



of Mainz in the Odenwald and Spessart mountains, 

 dates from 1773, and this polewood forest manage- 

 ment became quite general after the middle of the 

 18th century, but in the last half of the 19th century 

 it was generally replaced by the true high forest 

 management under nursetrees, the experiences with 

 the natural reproduction of conifer forest having 

 proved the advantages of this method. 



The primitive beginnings of this so-called Femel- 

 schlag method (Compartment selection or shelterwood 

 method) are found, in 1720, in Hesse Darmstadt, 

 where Oberforstmeister von Minnigerode prescribed 

 regular fellings progressing from north to south, in 

 which all material down to polewood size (in selection 

 or virgin forest) was to be removed, excepting only 

 a number of clean boles, one every ten to twelve paces 

 being left for seed and nursetrees. The good results 

 in reproduction stimulated owners of adjoining estates 

 to imitate the method (1737). 



The observation that in beech forest the young crop 

 needed protection and succeeded better when gradu- 

 ally freed from the shade of the seed trees, especially 

 on south and west aspects where drought, frost and 

 weeds are apt to injure it on sudden exposure, led to 

 the elaboration of the principle of successive fellings. 



In the ordinance of Hanau, as early as 1736, three 

 grades of fellings were developed, the cutting for seed, 

 the cutting for light, which was to begin when the 

 young crop was knee-high, and the removal cutting 

 when the crop was high. 



This method spread rapidly and was further de- 

 veloped by the addition (in 1767) of a preparatory 



