CHAPTER XIII. 



FELLING BY ROTATION OF AREA. 



THIS is the G-erman forester's attained ideal of 

 methodical treatment, and is especially suited to 

 forests of gregarious trees. The forest is divided 

 into blocks as many in number as there are years 

 in the rotation. These blocks are uniform in size, 

 or vary in area with the capabilities of the soil, so 

 as to equalise the yield. Large forests are gener- 

 ally cut up into primary divisions, rarely exceeding 

 five thousand acres, and each of these primary 

 divisions subdivided into annual blocks. 



These divisions are each in charge of a compe- 

 tent officer ; and if it were determined to work up 

 any of our forests to this regular system of rotation, 

 it would be a matter for consideration at the outset 

 whether the number of primary divisions should be 

 based on the numerical force of the existing staff, or 

 upon a probable increase to their numbers. If our 

 forest divisions were now divided into subcharges 

 of fifty thousand or a hundred thousand acres 

 each, and each of these subdivisions divided into 



