304 Spain. 



the value of the forest products they sold or were en- 

 titled to. But funds were not forthcoming, and, by 

 1895, under this law only 21,000 acres had been refor- 

 ested (three-fourths by sowing). 



The financial results of the management of the public 

 forests, although the forest department probably did the 

 best it could under the circumstances, have, indeed, not 

 been reassuring. In 1861, a deficit of $26,000 was re- 

 corded; in 1870 $600,000 worth of material was sold, 

 1.3 million dollars worth given away, and $700,000 

 worth destroyed. Altogether, by fire and theft, it was 

 estimated that 15 per cent, of the consumption was lost. 

 In 1885 this loss was estimated at 25 per cent., when 

 the net income had attained to 15 cents per acre, or, on 

 the 17.5 million acres to less than three million dollars. 



When it is considered that the governors of provinces 

 and their appointees, besides the village authorities, had 

 also a hand in the administration, it is no wonder that 

 the forest department was pretty nearly helpless. While 

 under the law of 1863 the department was specially or- 

 dered to regulate the management of communal forests 

 and to gauge the cut to the increment, the political ele- 

 ments in the administration, which appointed the forest 

 guards, made the regulations mostly nugatory. 



At last, in 1900, a new era seems to have arrived, a 

 thorough reorganization was made, which lends hope for 

 a better future. The technical administration was 

 divorced from the political influence and placed under 

 the newly created Minister of Agriculture. The ma- 

 chinery of the Cuerpo de Monies was remodeled. This 

 consists now of one Chief Inspector-General, four Di- 

 vision Chiefs, ten Inspectors-General for field inspec- 



