FORESTRY IN GERMANY. 1 29 



climatic relations or rainfall of the surrounding country, but several of the 

 foresters here whom I consulted on this very subject cite instances, especially 

 from Italy, Switzerland and France, where entire districts have been indis- 

 criminately deprived of their forests and the hills laid bare, in which the 

 rain does not now fall in sufficient quantities nor with the same regularity as 

 in better wooded districts within the said countries. 



DIFFERENT PROPRIETORSHIPS OF FORESTS STATE, PRIVATE, ETC. 



There are five different classes of forests in Thuringia as well as in other 

 parts of the German Empire, namely ; State forests, community forests, for- 

 ests belonging to charitable institutions, forests owned by corporations and 

 private forests. 



The most numerous class in the empire is private forests, while in Thurin- 

 gian states, however, the domain or state forests predominate. 



The state forests are under the direct control of the states and their right 

 to them cannot be abrogated. They cannot be in any way disposed of with- 

 out the consent of the Minister of Finance, and in most cases the assent of 

 the highest ruler in the state is necessary to carry out the object. 'Jhe state 

 is constantly seeking to increase its forest possessions and avails itself of 

 every opportunity to add to its acreage by purchase. 



The state foresters are on an equality with other state officers as respects 

 pay, pension, &c. , since all such matters are regulated by law. Their quali- 

 fications are determined by examination, so that the design of having only useful 

 foresters is fully carried out. The physical strength of such officers must be 

 sufficient for the practical service that will be required of them and must be 

 certified to by a military physician. That they may be accustomed to rigid 

 discipline, several years' military service is required. Their pay is not such 

 that they can save from it, but they are granted a pension after they are too 

 old for active service. 



Private forests are, as the name indicates, those owned by private indi- 

 viduals. These forests are under control of the owner in most respectg, but 

 may not be turned into fields without the consent of the state authorites. It 

 is complained by many foresters that the private forests are not generally man- 

 aged to the best advantage. The owners are too afraid of making the neces- 

 sary outlay. On this account such forests are often not planted with the most 

 valuable woods, but with those kinds the plants for which are already in the 

 nuirsery. The private foresters are also very poorly paid. The same wages 

 in a good many cases are still paid as fifty years ago, while the price of living 

 has greatly increased. Often they receive yearly no more than $30 in 

 money ; in addition to this they sometimes are paid a small compensation in 

 cash for the killing of game, yet hardly sufficient to pay for the ammunition ; 

 then they receive some fire-wood, a quantity of rye, barley and peas, 

 scarcely enough for four persons (while often his family contains six to 

 eight), and are also allowed the use of a small garden and potato-patch as 

 well as a dwelling, which, as one writer says, could only satisfy an Esquimau 

 or a Samoyed. 

 E. F. 10 



