FORESTRY COMMISSIONER. 125 



same time chief of that commission. The annual yield 

 of the state is 5,864,177 cubic feet of lumber and fire- 

 wood, corresponding with about 125 feet board measure 

 timber plus 0.31 cords fire-wood per acre per annum. 



The main duties of the superior forest officers consist 

 of: Care of the property; maintenance of boundary lines; 

 preventing the acquisition of prescriptive rights to pas- 

 ture, litter wood, etc. , by outsiders, and preventing forest 

 offenses; maintainance of the growing stock of timber; 

 forest utilization and forest regeneration, as prescribed by 

 the working plans; sale of forest produce and control of 

 the book-keeping. 



SWEDEN. 



STATE FORESTS. 



The aggregate extent of the state forests of Sweden in 

 1895 was 18,080,753 acres. The area of state forests is 

 annually increasing by extensive purchases of private for- 

 est. The prevailing kinds of trees are spruce (fir), pine 

 and birch. The estimated value of the state forests is $4 

 per acre. The figures in this statement are for the year 

 1895, in which the aggregate expense of forest administra- 

 tion was $185,397, and the aggregate revenue was $i, 126,- 

 636. The number of acres sown or planted to forest was 

 10, 875. The number of acres damaged by fire was i , 200, 

 and the amount of damage was about $ 10,000. Neglected 

 camp fires and carelessness when burning fields for culti- 

 vation are the principal causes. Only three fires were 

 caused by railroad locomotives. The state forests are di- 

 vided into 9 districts and 74 ranges ("revir"). The chief 

 of a district is an officer entitled "Ofverjagmastare," 

 with annual salary of $1,707 and rank corresponding to 



