FOREST EXPLOITATION. 19 



north-west. The avenues and paths bounding the com- 

 partments, run in parallel straight lines from north-east 

 to south-west, with the other avenues intersecting them 

 not quite at right angles. The compartments have been 

 almost always made equal in area, without taking account 

 of the difference in the qualities of soil. Each compart- 

 ment (according as the forest surveyor shall direct in his 

 estimates) must either be parcelled out into thirty yearly 

 portions, or, its cubic contents having been measured, and 

 its rate of increase ascertained, equal solid quantities of 

 timber is felled in each year of the thirty. In general 

 the latter method is prescribed as being more favourable 

 to the ripening of seed, and the ripening of seedlings with 

 little artificial assistance. Compartments occupied by 

 coppice or by coppice with reserved trees (compound cop- 

 pice) are parcelled out into equal yearly portions. 



In criticising this Polish system, and awarding it in its 

 place among scientific systems, Herr Krause, after a mul- 

 titude of definitions and extracts, comes to the conclusion 

 that it is a high development of the method of equal yearly 

 clearings. Its descent he traces from the system which 

 prevailed in Brunswick at the commencement of this 

 century. (It is said that the system of equal yearly 

 portions was first devised by Frederick the Great of 

 Prussia.) And he states that by a series of special altera- 

 tions in the direction of completeness, and some improve- 

 ments which he suggests, the Polish system of estimates 

 may readily be brought up to the most modern form of 

 methodical exploitation. 



The method of exploitation referred to is known in 

 France, as has been stated, as La Methode des Comparti- 

 ments, in Germany as Die Fachwerke Method, here as the 

 Scientific Method. 



The system of Jardinage, felling a tree here and there 

 as it might be wanted, was in France and other countries 

 on the Continent of Europe extensively superseded more 

 than two hundred years ago by exploitation a tire et aire, 



