FORESTRY IN SWITZERLAND. 205 



or export any of it from one village to another. Contemporaneously with 

 these prohibitions were issued others forbidding the pasturage of cattle, 

 sheep and goats in the forests. The old law generally ran in some such 

 homely text as this : 



Whoever keeps a cow at home in summer is allowed to drive no goats, and nobody more 

 than he actually requires for his house-keeping. 



But spite of all these precautions and prohibitive measures the lack of 

 combined action became painfully apparent. Moreover the individual owners 

 were refractory, resented interference, and held on to their woodlands, so 

 that, in fact, to-day the comparatively small forest area belonging to the 

 state is what has principally been acquired by direct purchase, by inheritance 

 or by the suppression of monasteries, as in the Bernese Jura, in Thurgau and 

 in Schaff hausen. ^ 



With the advent, however of the eighteenth century Swiss forestry took 

 on, in an ofificial sense at least, a more active existence. In 1702 Zurich, 

 always foremost in the work, appointed a commission to devise a general 

 forestry system. In 1825 Berne followed suit, and later Freiburg, Lucerne 

 and Schwyz took action in the same direction. From this time on the sev- 

 eral cantons managed their own forestry matters as they wished, and entirely 

 independent of each other up to ten years ago, when the imperative needs of 

 combined action having become apparent the matter was taken in hand by 

 the federal authorities, whose attention had been called to the pressing de- 

 mand for legislative action to arrest the destruction of forests, especially in 

 the higher mountain regions. Accordingly, on the 24th of March, 1876, a 

 law was passed establishing federal control over the forests in all the moun- 

 tain regions of Switzerland, embracing eight entire cantons, viz., Appenzell, 

 Glarus Graubunden, Schwyz, Tessin, Unterwalden, Uri and Valais, and 

 parts of seven others, viz., Berne, 41.48 percent.; Freiburg, 32.70 per cent.; 

 Lucerne, S3-5° per cent.; St. Gallen, 76.17 per cent.; Waadt, 22.98 per 

 cent.; Zug, — per cent.; and Zurich, 6.86 per cent. 



Zurich's forest system. 



As will be observed from the foregoing, Zurich has always evinced an 

 actual and especial interest in forestry matters, and the result is that her for- 

 estry system at the present day is a model one, and is so regarded throughout 

 Switzerland. Her forestry law, which has been in operation in its present 

 form for over a quarter of a century, is so complete in every detail as to form 

 a report in itself, and I have therefore translated it and incorporated it in full 



herewith. 



I . — Organization. 



1. Cantonal, township, and corporation forests shall be subject to the control of the gov- 

 ernment forestry system. Private forests come under the same provision, in so far as the safety 

 of the others or regard for a common danger renders necessary. 



2. According to article 49 of the law pertaining to the organization of the government 

 council, supreme control of the forestry system is vested in the direction of the interior. A 

 yearly sum of 8,000 francs will be allowed it for the cost of management, and for the interests 



