FACTORS OF FOREST PRODUCTION. 113 



ture occupies for the same acreage from 10 to 20 

 to even 30 times as much labor according to inten- 

 sity of management, as forestry,^ namely, 1 5 to 50 

 laborers continuously employed on 250 acres of 

 farm as against i to 3, or in the average 2 laborers 

 on the same acreage of forest. The 35,000,000 

 acres of German forest afford only ;^i per acre in 

 labor earnings, while, to be sure, they also give rise 

 to a labor earning of over $3 per acre in wood- 

 working industries. 



In other directions, too, does the labor question 

 differ in the forest. While in agriculture intensive 

 application of labor produces equivalent improve- 

 ment in results, such improvement can in forestry 

 rarely and only to a limited degree be secured by in- 

 creased labor. Not only is most labor in the forest 

 technically simple, very little skill being needed 

 and very little variety offered, but it permits piece- 

 work to a much larger extent than is practicable 

 on the farm, while opportunity for the use of ma- 

 chinery is very limited, or at least as yet little 

 developed. Nor does it permit much division, 

 organization, specialization, such as is practised in 

 manufacturing establishments. 



The greater intensity with which agriculture can 



1 The Prussian state forest administration of nearly 7,000,000 

 acres employs one official for every 1465 acres, namely, i guard 

 (Forster u. Waldwiirter) for every 1800 acres, i manager (Oberfors- 

 ter) for every 9800, and I inspector (Oberforstmeister u. Forstrath) 

 for every 61000 acres; and the common labor represents the annual 

 employment of one man for every 1 75 acres. 



