TRANSFORMATION OF WILD OR NATURAL WOODS. 141 



a forester, acquainted with the methods of the routine 

 work, who should, according to the directions given by 

 the Over-forester, superintend the working force of 

 laborers employed in cutting and removing the wood 

 products, or in cultivating and planting denuded 

 stretches within the district. The Forest Officials should 

 have a permanent residence Avithin their territory, and it 

 should be their duty to guard the place against fire and 

 trespass, for which purpose they should have the power 

 to arrest trespassers. 



The boundaries of the districts, and their subdivisions, 

 may be formed either naturally by old roads, streams, 

 ditches, adjoining open fields, etc., or artificially by open- 

 ing avenues and roads. Under all circumstances, adjoin- 

 ing forests belonging to different owners should be 

 separated by a clearing of trees along the boundaries, 

 about one rod wide, to which each party should contrib- 

 ute one-half of the space so that a properly indicated 

 boundary line would run in the midst of this path. 



(4) After the above-mentioned labors have been com- 

 pleted the first and most effective step to be taken in 

 order to transform a wild wood into a cultivated forest, is 

 to thin it out, that is, to cut and remove all inferior vege- 

 tation and dead trees as well as those that encroach upon 

 the quick development of the more desirable trees; but 

 with the restriction that the soil may not be exposed to 

 sunlight and atmospheric influences.* In order to enable 

 the laborers to do this work efficiently, the subdivisions of 

 the forests should be cut up in blocks containing from 3 

 to 400 acres, and separated by a clearing or path about 

 eighteen or twenty feet wide, called in German " Schneis- 

 sen," upon which the output of the block can be removed. 



(5) When the roads and avenues in a large forest have 

 been established and made practicable, we can go on cut- 



* See page 111. sqq 



