202 FOREST REGULATION 



sition was that "practice makes perfect" here as elsewhere. It has 

 had three drawbacks : 



a. The forester works under, executes and is resf>onsible for 

 the results of a plan which he does not make, merely criticizes and 

 usually has to accept. 



b. The upper office insists on the plan, for it regards the plan 

 as more competent than the forester who did not make it. 



c. The competent, more experienced men in this office do not 

 go through the woods, but leave it to young men fresh from school 

 to describe and judge, very important points. 



The controversy is still on, but the Prussian State Forest office 

 in its latest instructions places the task in the hands of the forester, 

 the man who knows (or should know) his forest best; who has to 

 execute the plans and is responsible for results. 



In our country it will be the forester in all ordinary, private 

 enterprises. In the state and national forests the task will probably 

 be a divided one for many years. And certainly a number of the 

 more weighty questions, such as proper rotation, total permissible 

 cut from a forest, division into working sections, etc., should have 

 the combined judgment of several men. The example of l>avaria in 

 establishing a special commission to work out proper rotations for 

 different state forests, is interesting in this connection. 



