IMPROVED BRITISH FORESTRY 329 



woods are as a rule to be looked to for provid- 

 ing payment of death dues, this seems rather an 

 argument for economic management than a valid 

 argument against it. 



Another objection that has been raised is that 

 Working Plans may be all very well for State 

 forests, but they are not so suitable for private 

 estates. This objection, likewise, rests on the 

 misconception that on the Continent the great 

 bulk of the forests is the property of the State. 

 Such is not the case. All the private woodlands 

 in Germany are managed in accordance with de- 

 finite, carefully-prepared Working Plans, and 

 some of the great landowners like Fuerst Stoll- 

 berg-Wernigerode on the Harz Mountains, main- 

 tain quite a large establishment of highly-trained 

 and well-paid forest officials. That success is a 

 mere question of management, and not of the 

 total amount of woodland area, is proved, if 

 specific proof were needed, by the fact that the 

 Belgian forests, aggregating 1,750,000 acres, give 

 a return of four million pounds sterling a year. 

 Now, if our 3,000,000 acres of woods and forests 

 were equally profitable, they would bring in an 

 annual income of nearly seven million pounds. 



