132 THE FOREST LANDS OF FINLAND. 



years they raise crops where till then the forest stood, 

 until seeds borne by the wind or buried in the soil, 

 restore the growth of wood. 



The special function of the Wardens is, as has been 

 stated, to watch and protect the forests. This they do 

 under the direction of the Forest-Masters ; and the organi- 

 sation, established in 1859, is in its leading features still 

 maintained. 



In 1859 the Crown forests were divided into 53 

 reviers or districts, each of which was placed under a 

 professional Forest-Master, instructed in forest science, and 

 all of the reviers under 11 Oberfbrst-Masters the whole 

 being under the Directory at Helsingfors, designated Forsta- 

 qrelsen i Finland. This Forest Administration is moulded 

 on the German model, but the reviers were, and still are, 

 much too large, the smallest is one in South Finland, and 

 measures 9900 tunnland ; the largest is one in Lapland, 

 and is five millions of tunnland in extent. 



It may be said that hitherto attention has been given 

 by the Administration chiefly, if not exclusively, to the 

 protection of the forests against fire and theft, and to the 

 sale year by -year of sawn timber. Of the Wardens and 

 watchmen, both of whom are of the peasant class, it is 

 only required that they can read and write. But the 

 organisation is good, and has proved tolerably efficient : 

 an efficient protection of the forests has been secured ; 

 but by the population generally, and more especially by 

 those who were engaged in the wood trade, the new 

 arrangement was much disliked. 



The instructions for the management of the Crown 

 forests, issued on 13th May 1859, were arranged in suc- 

 cessive chapters, including severally those relating to 



I. The Forest Administration, the Officials, and the 

 services required of them in connection with the manage- 

 ment of the Forest, 



