630 



AMERICAN FORESTRY 



THE FORSTERS' HOUSE AT VALEPP, BEI TEGERN SEE. 



THIS IS NOT ONLY A HEADQUARTERS FOR THE RANGER, BUT A WELL MANAGED HOTEL, OR 

 TAVERN AS WELL. THE ORDINARY WORKERS ARE HOUSED IN THE SMALL HOUSE 

 IN THE RIGHT-HAND FOREGROUND. 



five Forsters. Their work is naturally 

 of a far more intensive nature, but re- 

 quiring much less physical endurance 

 and judgment than that of the Ranger. 

 It consists chiefly of overseeing a few 

 women in a woods nursery, or out in 

 the forest in some planting operation. 

 To the American who meets a Forster 

 for the first time he is usually a source 

 of considerable surprise. For he often 

 appears as quite dapper in his green 

 suit and white collar, and with usually 

 a feather in his hat. In the high moun- 

 tain forests he usually wears the pic- 

 turesque and very practical light jacket, 

 :short leather breeches, and woolen 

 quarter socks. Over his shoulder may 

 be slung a shotgun, or combination shot- 

 gun and small caliber rifle, and very 

 often he leads a little squatty dachshund 

 which hurries along at his side. But 

 in no case are his hands too full, or his 

 shoulders to heavily laden, for him to 

 take off his hat to the Forstmeister 

 when they meet, and to carry his rain- 

 coat and any bundles which he may 

 have. His is a job of supervising others 

 not as fortunate as himself, and of 

 being supervised by the Forstmeister. 

 At the end of several years of faithful 

 service this man may receive the sum 



of $900 per year, and of course if he 

 lives long enough he will receive a pen- 

 sion. 



Those who work under the Forster, 

 or the Arbeiters, are not supposed to 

 be educated. They seldom have work 

 for more than six months in the year, 

 although there is usually an agreement 

 of some kind by which they are insured 

 work from year to year. The wood 

 choppers are the best paid, their wages 

 being usually based upon piece work, 

 and at times they earn as high as $1.50 

 to $2.00 per day. They are usually big 

 broad-shouldered peasant boys, who 

 look especially strong and picturesque 

 in their short leather breeches and 

 woolen quarter socks, which leave the 

 heavily muscled knees and ankles tan- 

 ned and exposed to the weather. Then 

 there are the ordinary workers who are 

 often older men who do the road work 

 and lighter work in the woods. These 

 men get from 75 cents to $1.00 per day. 

 On nearly every forest there are women 

 who do the planting and nursery work, 

 and in the fall go through the forest 

 smearing the tips of the young trans- 

 plants with a black composition made 

 partially of beef blood, which helps to 



