38 FORESTRY IN GERMANY. 



Richest in forests are: 



Per cent. 



Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt 44 



Saxe-Meiningen 41.9 



Province of Hesse-Nassau 40 



Baden 37 



Bavaria 33 



Hesse-Darmstadt 31.3 



Wurtemberg ....; 30.8 



Brunswick , 30 



Saxony (kingdom) ; 27.04 



Prussia (kingdom) 23.04 



Owners of German Forests. 



Hectares. Per cent. 



States of Crown 4,546,757 32.7 



Communities 2,109,913 15.2 



Charitable and other institutions (donated forests) 1 85 ,987 i .3 



Corporations of forest owners ( Waldgenossenschaften) 344.75 7 2.05 



Private parties 6,720,924 48.03 



In confining my report more chiefly to forestal matters in Prussia, permit 

 me to say that the management of forests in Prussia can be regarded as 

 typical for the other German states. 



The Prussian government exercises not only full control over forests 

 owned by the state, but extends the same, as far as laws permit, also to forests 

 not belonging to the state. And this is of great importance since the latter 

 occupy an area twice as large as the former. 



Without such supervision on the part of the Government a reckless de- 

 vastation of forests would be the consequence. 



As an additional measure for the culture and preservation of woods the 

 act approved July 6, 1875, must be regarded. The same provides for the 

 formation of corporations of such forest owners as possess tracts of forests 

 not large enough to admit of a rational and economical culture of forests. 

 They are called in German waldschutz-genossenschaften (forest protective 

 corporations). The formation of the same has been of great benefit since 

 the passage of said act, and contributes much to increase the yield of wood 

 and other forestal produce. While on one hand the Government affords 

 voluntarily and in cases where, under the laws existing, no coercive measures 

 are applicable, every practicable assistance to communities and private parties 

 in promoting forest culture, be it by instruction or good example given by 

 Its forestal officers; the same, on the other hand, strives continually to ex- 

 pand the possessions of the state in -forests, either by purchase, agree- 

 ments, &c. 



THE GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION OF FORESTS IN PRUSSIA 



Shows a great divergence in latitude and longitude, lying betwen 40° 7' and 

 55° 54' North and 23° 32' to 40° 33' East. ^ 



The forests of Prussia extend from the coasts of the Baltic to the altitudes 

 of the Sudetes, Hartz Mountains, Thuringian Forest, Taunus Rhoen and 



