118 THE FOREST LANDS OF NORTHERN RUSSIA. 



much should be paid to Government for every thousand logs 

 brought out of the forest, and something less for any felled, 

 but rejected for defects subsequently discovered. A Govern- 

 ment forest official superintended the delivery at the mill, 

 and frequently another official in the same service marked 

 what trees were to be felled. First, all trees above a speci- 

 fied girth at the upper end of a log cut 22 feet for 21 feet 

 long, within a specified area of great extent, are first felled. 

 Then this is done in one or more other areas. After this 

 the same ground is gone over, felling trees of lesser bulk, 

 and this process may be repeated, some of the areas being 

 100, 200, or 300 versts 70, 150, or 200 miles from the 

 saw-mill, and the fellings are so arranged by the forest 

 official as to make the exploitation subservient to the pre- 

 paration of the forests being managed in accordance with 

 the most advanced forest science of the day, and the super- 

 seding of the method known as Jardinage by that known 

 in France as that of La Methode des compartiments, the 

 Fachwerke method of Cotta and Hartig. 



The trees to be felled are first stripped of bark as a 

 useless encumbrance, which is done roughly and speedily 

 with the axe. In felling, the boll takes naturally a rounded 

 form, but this is sawn across at the upper end, a foot being 

 allowed in measuring to allow of the rounded end being 

 cut off without encroaching on the required length of log, 

 and the mark of the Company is then put on the upper 

 end. The bark, branches, and other debris are left on the 

 ground. All this is done in the winter season, because 

 labour is then to be had. Arrangements are made with 

 the officials of some village commune for bringing out the 

 logs to the river side, also in the winter season. On the 

 river they are made into rafts, and floated to the mill. 



Many of the village communes have specified rights of 

 felling trees in the forest for building purposes, for fuel, 

 and even for sale. In a more advanced condition of forest 

 economy, such rights acquired by usage or prescription are 

 found to interfere seriously with the most advantageous 

 management of forests, and they are being bought up 



