80 Germany. 



a systematic presentation, and this was not done until 

 the middle or last half of the 18th century. 



The first attempts at a literary presentation of the 

 empiric knowledge are found in the encyclopaedic vol- 

 vimes of the so-called "Hausvater" (household fathers — 

 domestic economists), who treated in a most diffuse 

 manner of agriculture in aU its aspects, including silvi- 

 culture. 



A number of these tomes appeared during the 17th 

 century; the best and most influential being published 

 at the very beginning of that century (1595-1609), 

 written by a preacher from Silesia, Johann Colerus, and 

 entitled Oeconomia ruralis et domestica, worin das ampt 

 aller braven Hausvater und Hausmiitter iegriffen. 



Colerus relied upon home experience and not, as the 

 earlier work, Praedium rusticum (translated from the 

 French, in 1593), had done, upon the scholastic exposi- 

 tions of the Italian, Petrus de Crescentiis, who repro- 

 duced much of the Eoman lore, entirely inapplicable to 

 German conditions. He was rewarded by the popularity 

 of his work which went through thirteen editions and 

 became very widely known. 



Somewhat earlier, a jurist, No'e Meurer, wrote a book 

 on forest law (second edition, 1576) and hunting which 

 on this field remained long an authority, and gives in- 

 sight into the condition of forest use at the time. 



But the first independent work on forestry, divorced 

 from the hunt and farming, did not appear until 1713, 

 Sylvicultura ceconomica, written by the Saxon director 

 of mines, Hans Carl v. Carlowitz. 



This book, while containing quaint and amusing ideas, 

 gives many correct rules for silvicultural methods. 



