330 ECONOMICS OF FORESTRY. 



paratus to carry it into effect as any, Germany 

 hardly excepted. 



It is interesting to note that the historical de- 

 velopment of this policy considerably resembles 

 Teutonic development under the feudal system. 

 During the first century after Christ, and repeat- 

 edly during later ones, frequent edicts were issued 

 to enforce the planting of watersheds to alleviate 

 floods, and the state representatives, the provincial 

 princes, from early times took active interest and 

 supervised the fellings. ^ 



The forests thus protected by strict laws re- 

 mained in comparatively good condition, so that 

 in 1867, when the great modern change in the 

 government of Japan took place, they came into 

 imperial hands nearly unimpaired. A department 

 of forestry, instituted in 1874, in the department 

 of the interior, has the management of the state 

 forests, which comprise 17,500,000 acres, or 30 per 

 cent of the total forest area of 57,000,000 acres. 

 Some of the private forests, namely, those declared 

 protection forests, are under supervision. A forest 

 academy, according to German models, and at first 

 manned by German foresters, was established in 

 1882, which in 1890 was incorporated with the 

 University at Tokio. 



1 See an interesting historical sketch in Zeitschrift fur Jas 

 gesammie Forstwesen, 1900. 



