48 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



i THE PINERIES OF EBERSTADT NEAR DARMSTADT 

 The forest range of Eberstadt consists of both town and state 

 (Hesse-Darmstadt) forests, some 2500 acres, under the direction of 

 Geh. Forstrat Joseph, an elderly man of kindly and delightful 

 personality. The activity of the state in buying up odd or unpro- 

 ductive strips of privately owned land has resulted in the same 

 policy by the town of Eberstadt, so that there are few privately 

 owned forests here. Natural seed regeneration of the Scotch pine, 

 which is the principal tree here on the sandy plains of the Rhine 

 valley, has not done well. This is in striking contrast to the pineries 

 of Ysenburg, 20 miles north, where the luxuriant natural regenera- 

 tion is depended upon almost wholly for reforestation. 



The rotation at Eberstadt is approximately 120 years, at which 

 time the larger trees attain an average diameter, breast high, of 12 to 

 16 inches. The cuts are made in winter and in the succeeding winter 

 the ground is dug over to a depth of about 14 inches, the best soil of 

 the forest floor being turned under and the poor sand from below 

 placed on top. This will force the roots to go deeper for their food. 

 In April, one year old seedlings of Scotch pine are planted, and be- 

 tween the rows, in May, potatoes will be cultivated. This method of 

 " tongya " gets rid in a large measure of the weeds and soil fungi 

 which might be harmful to the young pine, especially Hysterium 

 p i n i . At the time of the logging operations there were left stand- 

 ing, in the majority of cases, about eight of the best trees to an acre, 

 to run through the next rotation as " veterans." In addition to the 

 increment yield of these trees, which takes place practically without 

 injury to the growth of the next rotation, the price increment of 

 these veterans rises from a stumpage value of under $40 to over 

 $60 a thousand. 



The cost an acre of reforestation at Eberstadt is : 



To dig over the soil $27. 50 



For plants and planting 10.50 



For potatoes 4 . 00 



For planting and cultivating potatoes 6.00 



For weeding, paris-greening, etc 8.00 



Making a total gross expense of $56.00 



About 1400 pine seedlings are planted to the acre and about 6 

 hundredweight of potatoes are used on each acre. The net returns 

 from the potatoes usually average about $20 an acre, which leaves 

 a net planting expense of $36 an acre. Adding this to the value 

 of the land, which is here as high as $100 to $150 an acre, to obtain 



