114 ANNUAL REPORT OF 



had belonged to private parties. Frederick the Great or. 

 dered the division of the national forests into compart- 

 ments or blocks, each of which was to acquire the age of 

 70 years before being cut. But inasmuch as it was found 

 that 70 years were not sufficient for the proper growth of 

 the trees, each of these main compartments were sub- 

 divided into two compartments, so that a period of growth 

 running 140 years was established. 



There had been, in more ancient times, laws relating to 

 forests for certain parts of Prussia, the first dating 1 547. 

 These related to the right of using the forest and necessi- 

 ty of replanting, more than to general systematic care. 

 One can therefore properly claim that Frederick the Great 

 is the father of the German forests, as it was he who 

 created the existing forestry laws and made them apply 

 to private as well as to state forests. 



THE WORKING PLAN. 



The " Manual of Forestry" in five volumes, by Dr. 

 William Schlich, principal professor of forestry at the 

 Royal Indian Engineering College, Cooper's Hill, Eng- 

 land, and formerly Inspector General of Forests to the 

 Government of India, is the best work on the subject in 

 the English language. Dr. Schlich has kindly given me 

 permission to copy from his third volume an account of 

 the ' ' working plan " as used in forestry, and what follows 

 on that subject is taken from that volume. 



Forest working plans regulate, according to time and 

 locality, the management of forests in such a manner that 

 the objects of the industry are as fully as possible realized. 

 The working plan for a protection forest, or a park-like 

 forest, is altogether different from that of a forest which 



