January 7, 1891.] 



Garden and Forest. 



9 



overrun and nearly annihilated by the French, the idea of sell- 

 ing the state forests was never seriously entertained. 



But the Government of Prussia has not stopped here. Pro- 

 tection, standing alone, is irrational and incomplete. The cases 

 where a forest reaches its highest usefulness by simply exist- 

 ing, are rare. The immense capital which the state woodlands 

 represent is not permitted to lie idle, and the forest as a timber 

 producer has taken its place among the permanent features of 

 the land. The Government has done the only wise thing by 

 managing its own forests through its own forest-officers. 



The organization of the Forest Service is briefly as follows : 

 At its head stands the Department, or, more correctly, the Min- 

 istry of Agriculture, which exercises general supervision over 

 forest-affairs through the medium of the Oberlandforstmeister, 

 Chief of the Forest Service. Next in authority is the Bezirks- 

 regierung, a council in charge of one of the thirty-five minor 

 divisions of the Prussian state, which has full control over 

 forest-business within its sphere of action. The members of 

 the controlling staff, the Oberforstemeister and Forstmeister, 

 are also members of this council. Their duties lie in the in- 

 spection of the officers of the executive staff, of whom there 

 are 681 in Prussia. These officers, styled "Oberforster," are 

 charged with the actual management of the public forest- 

 lands, and it is on them that the security of public interests in 

 the forest chiefly rests. Upon their selection and education the 

 utmost care and forethought are expended. 



Space does not permit me to enter into a full description of 

 a system which has produced, perhaps, the most efficient 

 forest-staff of the present day, and, indeed, the subject has 

 been more than once treated in American publications. 

 Briefly stated, their course of training begins after graduation 

 from a gymnasium, with a year of practical work under some 

 experienced Oberforster. Great stress is rightly laid on this 

 year of preparatory work, chiefly because of the vastly greater 

 force and reality which it gives the subsequent theoretical 

 teaching. As one who has suffered from the lack of it, I 

 may, perhaps, be permitted to bear my testimony to the value 

 of the custom, which is, unfortunately, less widely extended 

 than its merits deserve, but which I hope to see one day estab- 

 lished in the forest-schools of our land. The young Prussian 

 .forester, who has had the good fortune to pass through this 

 preliminary year, next spends two years at a forest-school of 

 recognized merit, such as Munich, Miinden or Giessen, and 

 then one year at a university. Then comes the first state 

 examination, which demands, besides a goodly share of theo- 

 retical knowledge, large proofs of efficiency in practical detail. 

 It is followed by at least two years of travel and work, during 

 which the candidate, now promoted to the title of Referenda, 

 must take part during five months in the practical administra- 

 tion of a forest-range, and spend four months in the prepara- 

 tion of working plans, besides giving half a year to the active 

 duties of an ordinary forest-guard. At the end of this rather 

 long period of preparation comes the much dreaded final 

 examination, after which the Referenda becomes Forest- 

 Assessor, and is at length eligible for serious paid employ- 

 ment. The actual career of the forester can hardly be said to 

 begin, however, until the appointment as Oberforster, for 

 which the Assessor has no sort of guarantee, and which may 

 delay its coming for from six to twenty years. That once 

 obtained, the chance of promotion lies open, and includes every 

 grade up to the highest. Still, it must be said that as a rule 

 the Prussian Oberforster is wholly satisfied with his position, 

 and very often unwilling to exchange it for one of greater 

 honor and profit. The stimulus which ambition fails to give 

 is supplied by the admirable esprit de corps which pervades 

 the whole body of forest-officers, and forms here, as elsewhere, 

 the best security for the efficiency and healthy tone of the 

 service. 



Immediately subordinate to the members of the Executive 

 Staff are the various grades of forest-guards, upon whom the 

 protection of the forest directly and exclusively rests. " The 

 forester" (I quote from the Service Instructions) " must protect 

 the beat entrusted to him against unlawful utilization, theft 

 and injury, and see to it that the forest and game laws are 

 observed. He is charged with the execution of the felling, 

 planting and other forest-work, under the orders of the Ober- 

 forster, and he alone delivers all forest-produce to the persons 

 qualified to receive it on receipt of written instructions." 



The training of the Protective Staff is provided for with a 

 care which, in any other land, might be thought more suitable 

 for officers of a higher grade, and a period of preparation only 

 less long than that for Oberforster stands before the beginner. 

 Such is in' outline the organization of the Prussian Forest- 

 service. The principles upon which it rests are thus stated by 

 Donne, now Oberlandforstmeister, in a work which carries 



all the weight of an official document without being actually 

 such. He says : " The fundamental rules for the management 

 of state forests are these: First, to keep rigidly within the bounds 

 of conservative treatment, and, secondly, to attain, consistently 

 with such treatment, the greatestoutput.of most useful products 

 in the shortest time." And again, " The state believes itself 

 bound, in the administration of its forests, to keep in view the 

 common good of the people, and that as well with respect to 

 the lasting satisfaction of the demand for timber and other 

 forest-produce as to the numerous other purposes which the 

 forest serves. It holds fast the duty to treat the Government 

 woodlands as a trust held for the nation as a whole, to the end 

 that it may enjoy for the present the highest satisfaction of its 

 needs for forest-produce and the protection which the forest 

 gives, and for all future time at least an equal share of equal 

 blessings." 



Correspondence. 



The Holiday Flower Trade in Philadelphia. 

 To the Editor of Garden and Forest : 



Sir. — The holiday trade of the florists seems to have been 

 satisfactory this season, and as usual it marks a step forward 

 both in quality and variety of the plants and flowers dis- 

 posed of. 



Flowers as holiday gifts are always acceptable, though it 

 must be admitted that American Beauty Roses at $18 a 

 dozen are in the nature of luxuries ; but there is so great 

 a variety of other flowers from which to choose that a very 

 pretty box of assorted flowers can always be had for a mod- 

 erate sum, and these special prices only rule on special 

 occasions. 



Probably owing to the bright weather which has prevailed 

 during December cut flowers have been more than usually 

 plentiful, Roses, of course, heading the list since the Chrysan- 

 themum season has waned, and at the present time (Decem- 

 ber 30th) good flowers can be had of American Beauty, The 

 Bride, Madame de Watteville, La France, Duchess of Albany, 

 Madame Hoste, Catherine Mermet, Papa Gontier, Perle des 

 Jardins, and among the Hybrid Perpetuals, Madame Gabriel 

 Luizet, Mrs. John Laing and Ulrich Brunner, these being con- 

 sidered among the regular stock sorts for forcing. Speaking 

 of Chrysanthemums reminds me that, though the season for 

 these flowers is near its end, yet there are some still in the 

 market, though of rather indifferent quality. 



Carnations are in good supply, though first-class flowers 

 with long stems command good figures, and these, like the 

 Roses, may be had in considerable variety. The march of 

 improvement is continued among the Carnations, too, and 

 Philadelphia will show some fine seedlings within a season or 

 two. 



Rather out of the common was a wedding decoration during 

 holiday week in which Pansies were the predominating flowers, 

 the bridal flowers being white Pansies, while the makls of 

 honor carried fancy baskets filled with colored Pansies, and 

 the same flower was used as far as possible throughout the 

 house decoration. Some effort was required to secure 

 Pansies enough for such a purpose so early in the season, but 

 the enterprising firm to whom the order was entrusted 

 managed to execute it satisfactorily. 



Lilies-of-the-Valley, Roman Hyacinths, Paper White Narcissus 

 and single Daffodils are plentiful, as are also Violets. The 

 latter may always be considered among the favorite flowers, so 

 to speak, and in Philadelphia up to some two or three years 

 past single Violets have been most in demand ; but the taste 

 for double ones is rapidly growing, and they will probably 

 supersede the single ones in a few years. 



Some sprays of White Lilac are to be had, but these are not 

 forced to any great extent about here, but mostly come from 

 New York. 



Smilax continues in demand for greenery, but in fine 

 arrangements it has been displaced to a considerable degree 

 by the graceful and feathery festoons of Asparagus filiimosus, 

 for, while the latter is much lighter and more delicate in ap- 

 pearance than the Smilax, it is much more lasting. 



A few Orchid flowers, mostly Cypripediums and Oncidiums, 

 are to be seen; but these will never be the flower for the million, 

 for few, if any, species are sufficiently prolific in flowers to 

 make them remunerative if sold at a low figure. 



Different fashions in the way of sending flowers seem to 

 prevail in different localities. Some florists report a consider- 

 able increase in the call for baskets of flowers, while others 

 find boxes of loose flowers in greatest request. Perhaps the 



