30 



interests and the slowness with which the rafting regulations have 

 been completed. Within the State lands, rafting conditions are im- 

 proved each year by the cleaning -up of rivers and brooks, by the 

 building of dams, wet slides, etc. Between Ylikitka and Livojarvi 

 the State possesses a contrivance which makes it possible to transport 

 logs from the North Kuusamo waterways to the lijoki waters. - 

 As logs are generally transported during the winter in Finland, the 

 existence of a network of roads is not of as great importance here as 

 it is in many places abroad. But even roads are improved and devel- 

 oped each year in the State forest districts. At present, the build- 

 ing of a light railway from the stopping-place of Eskola on the Oulu 

 railway into the interior is in progress on behalf of the State. 



An attempt is being made to improve the productivity of State 

 land, not only by purely silvicultural activities, but also by draining 

 bogs and swamps and thus increasing the area of forest land. Together, 

 the bogs and marshes on State land form an enormous area: about 

 5.6 million hectares. Of this, bogs suitable for draining form only 

 35 %, or 2 million hectares. Organized draining has been attempted 

 in the State forests only during the last decade or so. During this 

 period about 13 % of the drainable bog areas has been examined 

 by eye for draining and 31000 hectares finally drained, or 1.6 

 of the total drainable area. Besides increasing the area of forest 

 land, the draining of swamps is important as a preventive to further 

 spreading of the swamps. In the Province of Pohjanmaa (Osterbot- 

 ten), for example, about 95 % of the present swamp areas has been 

 born by the bogging of dry forest land. 



The income, expenditure and profit accounts of the ad ministra- 

 tion of the forests will be seen from the following. For the years 

 1861 1915 the average for each five-year period is given. 



The figures for 1921 are based on preliminary reports. 



