48 FORESTRY IN GERMANY. 



tural associations by providing for cheap or gratuitous distribution of forestal 

 seeds and plants as well as by direct appropriation of funds in the form of 

 premiums for wood growing. Of wood plants at cost price there have been 

 furnished during the last thirteen years, on a yearly average, 31,675 pieces 

 leaf-wood plants, and 424,688 needle-wood (coniferous trees) plants. 



RESULT OF SUCH MEASURER. 



A full and satisfactory result in that respect has been obtained in the 

 Eifel district of the provincial governments of Coblenz, Trier, Aachen (Aix- 

 la-Chapelle). The deplorable state of things there, caused by a former 

 merciless devastation of forests,' and the injurious influence from the desolate 

 and marshy heights of the Eifel far extending into the fertile fields of the 

 Rhine districts, made it incumbent upon the state government to provide for 

 energetic remedies. As the most important and available expedient appeared 

 to be the reforesting of the Eifel heights, especially the environs of the 

 "Hohe Venn" by erecting a "forest mantle," cutting off and including the 

 climate of the "Venn;" and as the communities to which this waste land 

 belongs were entirely unable to bear exclusively the expense for this measure, 

 the Prussian state has, since 1854, appropriated annually considerable funds 

 to attain the desired object. 



Taking, for instance, that part of the "Hohe Venn" which is situated 

 in the arrondisement of MalmSdy and Montjoie (about 8,000 hectares in 

 area) 2,294 hectares were to be planted with forest. In 1891 it is expected 

 the whole plan will be carried into execution. Up to 1881, when 1,600 

 hectares had been stocked again, the following amounts were expended : 



1. For culture and drainage M. 217,925 



2. Surveying and maps 1,742 



3. Rewards to foresters 4,005 



4. Rewards to others 3,067 



Total M. 226,739 



averaging 141. 71 marks per hectare. 



All these costs were paid by the state, though the land belonged to com- 

 munities. In other districts where waste land was stocked the total expendit- 

 ure I)er hectare amounted to 68.54 marks, 80.96 marks, and 44.36 marks, 

 respectively. 



Also in other parts of the kingdom of Prussia where it became necessary 

 to meet climatic or other dangers to the commonwealth the Prussian govern- 

 ment has encouraged wood growing on waste land by paying bounties, &c. 

 This was the case in the Westerland, Eichsfeld, Northern Hanover, &c. On 

 a yearly average about 48,500 marks were expended to cover about 1,000 

 hectares (2,500 acres) with forests. As a rule 48.5 marks per hectare are ap- 

 propriated by the state to that effect. 



The general interest aroused in recent years manifested itself towards 

 passing a law to protect forests. Such a law, to which I shall recur under the 



