Government Forests in Saxony. 



By W. G. Wright, Wurdner. B C. 



Tlif Kiiij^<loiii ol' Siixonv IS Mill' III till' 

 most prof^ro.'-sive states in the Cifnnan Em- 

 l>irr, ami not least so as regards its forest 

 policy. Seieiitilic sylvieiiltiiral niethols have 

 here (levelopeil to a luaxinuun. I'ritcs* for 

 tinilier run hiyh, owinf^ in jiart to the 

 jiroxiniit y ot' tlic i-onsiinier to the sii|i|ilier, 

 anil in |iart to the a<lvanii>i| soi-ial ami 

 political develoimient of the state; ami, in 

 forestry as in agriculture, hiyh jirices bring 

 in their train more intensive niethols. This 

 limls expression in more liberal ex|>eniliture 

 on roails, realTure^tation and otlu-r ini- 

 jirovements, more thorough ami more sys- 

 tematic utilisation of products and in a 

 short rotation. 



Apjiroximately half of Saxony's timber 

 land belongs to the GoAernmeiit — almut 

 4;t:{,iMi() acres or thirteen per cent of the 

 total area of Saxony. The rest is divided 

 among private estates, municipal forests and 

 the like. The methods of management fol- 

 lowed in the ca>e of jirivate o\\nership 

 dejiend largely on the extent of the estate 

 and the wealth of the pro[»rietor. Muni- 

 cipal forests, when of sufficient size, are as 

 a ruli> well managed and yield a good reve 

 nue. fn liin'.l >tate forests yielded *<i.i>0, 

 Jirivate forests $_'.!I7, and municipal forests 

 .$.3.92 per acre. Wooded lands iHdoiiging 

 to the villages ( rtdics of old feudal days) 

 are, on aciount of their limited area and the 

 impossibility of working them under other 

 than a M-lection system, a ^onrce of -"mall, 

 if any. profit to their jiroprietors. Their 

 chief use is to provide firewood. In other 

 jiarts of (Jerinany it has fre<piently Ih'cii 

 fiiiind practirable to combine the iii;iii:ige 

 incnt of >e\«'ral of the^e village liol. lings 

 under one state a|>|>ointeil forester, and 

 this system usually meets with succes.*. It 

 is, however, the ol>ject of thi."* artielo to 

 gi\e some idea of the forest policy of the 

 Saxon (Jovernment as regards its own for- 

 ests, anil to give >omo insight into the me- 

 thods )>mp!oyed. 



Character of the Woods. 



Of the State Foro.tt.s 97 jht cent are .«Mn 

 loosed of conifer(»us frees. Si - '" ii 



isrrlsii) is thi> preiloiiiiiiiitini,' 

 ing "S per cent, whil' * 



.Hi/l rr.it n.i) forms only iio 



woods. This is due in great pnrt \o gpo- 



•The ' price ' here umlerstood is the }>rir« 



]>aiil by the manuf'acturer to the -t 



for the timber delnered on th- g 



area. 



gia|ilii< al 



east of tl • 



less and sandy soil preii. 



i'ine is found taking tb 



•il per cent. As one pr 



the rainfall ini'r< < 



]>ortion of pine 



teniberg and lladcn ihi- i 



about 10 per cent. The ^: 



Saxony has a rainfall i-ome 



average of that for Kuro|« . i 



hills of the southern boundarv ' ■ 



is often exceeded. Thci- 



Very suited to the growth , -, 



ami in the hills, with the i of » 



t'vw Iw-ech woods, it li ' 



Siher fir ( .ihits /i, , 



to a \ery limited extent now in S«»onr, thi<« 



species having been more or '• ^^--^ 



minatetl by factory funiei*. I..11 



I iiropia) is met with very r.. 



in mixture, the • liniate not 



its growth. .fapaiiere I.ar.h 



/>orii<-(i) ha.s lufn introduicd. th«. „:. 



fill success. Many North American \aric 



ties have been introduced, though 



for ornamental piirpii>»'«. (if fh.« 



|>rodiii'ing trees 



( I'm IIS xtntbuf} 



tnugn mucronata) arc the chief. White pire 



has met with »ome ••• ' •' ~ 



cover or auxiliary -i ■ 



making it particiilarl.v 



while hoiiglas fir ha« 



spruce with very good r«'-iilf«. tb- 



iMilty lioing its liabihr- • "^ - 



Jack pine ( t'inu» !• 



pine (/'inM* 



impruvement 



ties, though the\ h;»\i- ip • 



for timber. Jack pine ts pr« ;..•-. .... ..,,- 



pur|K>>i>, ajt it give^ more litter. 



Of the 

 «i/i'iifi<-<i) . 

 rhietly the | • 

 put ' ■ ' -■ 

 ,\y^■ 



par t 



■ •■ I 





' tIJ I ri II . 



an<i hare 



\ 

 «*oi 

 of 



•111. I.;.. ,. 

 to grow •) 

 Ir <>iiil<>d ' 

 rrturn at ■< 

 limlt^r, of which .t 



lOo 



