268 ECONOMICS OF FORESTRY. 



scribed generally, as in the law of Italy, or specifi- 

 cally in each case, as in the law of Bavaria. The 

 interference may consist in simply forbidding an 

 absolute clearing, or else prescribing the manner 

 in which the property may be utilized. 



Where, on account of the smallness of separate 

 holdings, a good forest management could not be 

 maintained, coercive cooperation, the management 

 of all the parcels as a unit, may recommend itself, 

 or else the state, having a well-officered forest 

 administration, may undertake the management 

 for the owner, at least for a time. Where refor- 

 estation becomes necessary, it has usually been 

 recognized incumbent upon the state either to re- 

 imburse, or at least to assist and alleviate, the bur- 

 den of reforestation by relieving from taxation, for 

 a given time, the land to be reforested, as is done 

 in France for thirty years, and in Austria for 

 twenty-five years, or by the granting of bounties on 

 plantations, as practised in Austria and Prussia and 

 also in the United States. Or else supplies of 

 plant material have been granted, or part of the 

 cost of planting is borne by the state, or else loans 

 at low interest have been given to ease the burden 

 of replanting. This very judicious assistance was 

 given by the province of Hanover during the years 

 1877 to 1883 ; in order to encourage the planting 

 of the Luneburg heath, the sum of nearly $100,000 

 was loaned to nine associations, ten cities, and 

 thirty-one private landowners, by means of which 



