FORESTRY COMMISSIONER. 63 



has been sold actually at prices ranging between $5 and 



1340- . 



The annual net revenue drawn from forestry varies just 

 as much as the value of the forest itself. It is impossible 

 to give any exact figure showing the annual net revenue 

 from private or communal forests. A net revenue of equal 

 to two or three per cent of the capital invested in forestry 

 may represent a fair average. 



The annual production of timber and fuel in the Aus- 

 trian forests has somewhat declined of late. Savings are 

 made everywhere to make good former over-cutting. Be- 

 sides, the regulations of the forest laws are now being 

 enforced, and under these enforced laws the utilization 

 of forest produce had to be diminished. In the year 

 1890 the total harvest of timber and fuel from 24, 173,333 

 acres of forest aggregated 29,341,590 cubic meters, or 

 1,035,758,127 cubic feet. In the year 1895, on the other 

 hand, there were cut from 23,993,442 acres only 27,523,- 

 241 cubic meters, or 971,570,407.3 cubic feet. 



It may be stated that the smaller figures, representing 

 the area of the forest in 1895, are explained by the fact 

 that the political authorities, whenever they think it fit, 

 after consulting the foresters in charge, approve of a 

 change of forest land into agricultural or pasture land. 

 Besides, the diminished area is partly explained by mis- 

 takes made formerly in the survey of the forests. 



DUCHY OF BADEN. 



STATE FORESTS. 



The aggregate extent of the state forests of Baden is 

 248,000 acres, located in the Black Forest, the upper val- 



