146 AustriorEungary. 



is similar to that of southern Germany; in the southern 

 portions to that of Italy, while Hungary partakes of the 

 characteristics of a eontiuental plains climate ■with low 

 rainfall and extreme temperature ranges. 



In addition to the tree species found in Germany there 

 are of economic value four species of piae (Pinits 

 Austriaca, Cembra, Pinea, halepensi$) , two oaks 

 {Quercus ilex and suber), and the chestnut (Castanea 

 vesca). Conifer forest is prevailing in Austria (with 

 83%), deciduous forest in Hungary, mostly beech and 

 oak (with 75%). 



1. Property Conditions. 



On the whole, property conditions developed not un- 

 simUarly to those of Germany. There were freemen 

 and serfs to start with, developiug into barons, peasants, 

 burghers; there were ban forests, royal domain, forests 

 of the mark and private properties, rights of user or 

 servitudes and all the methods and conditions that were 

 developed in other parts of Europe, only perhaps differ- 

 ing in time and rate of progress of their development. 



As a result of gradual changes in ownership condi- 

 tions the present distribution of property resulted, in 

 which the State ownership is comparatively small, 

 namely, in Austria proper not more than 7% (with 

 1,565,000 acres) of the 24,000,000 acres of total 

 forest (32.3% of the land surface), while private owner- 

 ship represents over 58%. Of this 34% is in large 

 landed estates, among which those of the princes of 

 Liechtensteia and of Schwarzenberg with round 350,000 

 acres and 290,000 acres are the largest, and 25 others 

 with from 50,000 to 230,000 acres may be named. The 



