Boumania. 875 



steep slopes, near watercourses, and near the boundaries 

 (of strategic importance). These areas, coming under 

 the protective policy, comprise 84 per cent, of the whole 

 forest area. They were not to be cleared except by 

 special permit, and not to be exploited except under 

 specially approved working plans. In 1885, three 

 French foresters were called in to organize a State forest 

 department and to inaugurate the making of working 

 plans. The personnel (25 inspectors and 89 district of- 

 ficers) being insufficient, and wood prices low (the in- 

 come from state property being not over ^00,000), the 

 progress of the work was slow. Although, in 1894, the 

 income had doubled, the administrative forces had not 

 been enlarged to any great extent (137 foresters of 

 various grades), and by that time only 150,000 acres 

 had been brought under working plans. By 1900 about 

 200,000 acres of State property, or 14 per cent., and 

 500,000 acres of private forest, or 22 per cent., were 

 organized in some fashion. Lack of means of transpor- 

 tation, however, prevents a really well regulated manage- 

 ment. Altogether only 65 per cent, of the State property 

 is accessible so that it can be worked, and the working 

 plans consist mainly in leaving a number of seed trees. 



In 1889, a Forestry Association {Progressul Silvic) 

 was formed, which with its organ, Revista pddurUor, 

 pushes the propaganda. In 1890, an energetic Minister 

 of Domains, Carp, sought strenuously to bring improve- 

 ment into the situation. A budget of $500,000 for 

 foresters' dwellings was secured to bring the forest man- 

 agers into closer contact with their charges, a planting 

 fund of $100,000, later increased to $140,000 per 

 annum, was voted, and reforestation and reclamation of 

 sand dunes was begun. A forest improvement fund was 



