FORESTRY OF JAPAN. 4 1 



the Restoration of the Meiji period, the evil of the reckless 

 felling of trees took place for a time which almost ruined the 

 forests in many cases. At this juncture, the Government made 

 a careful investigation of the means of forming forests in the 

 economic way which led the authorities to promulgate the law 

 relating to the land tax. Lands were categorized showing the 

 distinction of ownership between the Government and the 

 people, but as a matter of fact not only boundary lines were 

 despairingly mixed up but there arose various evils as the 

 encroachments of forest lands and the despoiling of their 

 products whether intentionally or by mistake creating a great 

 deal of trouble in exploitation. The first exploitation of 

 the State forests in Honshu (exclusive of Hokkaido, For- 

 mosa, and Karafuto) that was commenced in the year 1890, 

 was aimed to adjust these abnormal condition of forests. This 

 undertaking was to be continued for 15 years from 1890 to 

 1904, the expenses needed for which being paid out of the 

 ordinary annual expenditure together with the extraordinary 

 expenses amounting to 855,951 yen and the work is conducted 

 every year covering the following points : 



1 . To investigate the actual condition of the State forests 

 covering an area of 6,6000,000 cho, scattered all over the 

 country, differentiating those forests which should be preserved 

 as the State forests and those which may be advantageously 

 transferred to the ownership of the private individuals, and to 

 determine the districts under the State control by means of 

 considering the facilities of the control and observing the 



-question whether it is economically profitable or not. 



2. To investigate and determine the boundary lines 



