IMPROVED BRITISH FORESTRY 329 
woods are as a rule to be looked to for provid- 
ing payment of death dues, this seems rather an 
argument for economic management than a valid 
argument against it. 
Another objection that has been raised is that 
Working Plans may be all very well for State 
forests, but they are not so suitable for private 
estates. This objection, likewise, rests on the 
misconception that on the Continent the great 
bulk of the forests is the property of the State. 
Such is not the case. All the private woodlands 
in Germany are managed in accordance with de- 
finite, carefully-prepared Working Plans, and 
some of the great landowners like Fuerst Stoll- 
berg-Wernigerode on the Harz Mountains, main- 
tain quite a large establishment of highly-trained 
and well-paid forest officials. That success is a 
mere question of management, and not of the 
total amount of woodland area, is proved, if 
specific proof were needed, by the fact that the 
Belgian forests, aggregating 1,750,000 acres, give 
a return of four million pounds sterling a year. 
Now, if our 3,000,000 acres of woods and forests 
were equally profitable, they would bring in an 
annual income of nearly seven million pounds. 
