232 Russia. 



4. Forestry Practice. 



While then a very considerable activity in scientific 

 direction exists, the practical application of forestry prin- 

 ciples is less developed than one would expect, especially 

 in view of the stringent laws. So far not much more 

 than conservative lumbering is the rule. 



Generally speaking, the State and crown forests are 

 better managed than the private, many of which are 

 being merely exploited ; and in the northern departments 

 large areas remain still inaccessible. 



Some notable exceptions to the general mismanage- 

 ment of private forests are furnished by some of those 

 owned by the nobility, like those of Count Uwaroff with 

 150,000 acres under model management by a German 

 forester, and of Count Strogonoff with over 1,000,000 

 acres under first-class organization with a staff of over 

 230 persons. 



A regular forest organization was first attempted in 

 the forests attached to iron furnace properties in 1840. 

 By this time some 100 million acres have come under 

 regulated management, half of the area being crown 

 forests. The method of regulation employed is that of 

 area division and sometimes area allotment according to 

 Cotta. In some regions a division by rides into com- 

 partments ranging from 60 to 4,000 acres, according to 

 intensity of exploitation, has been effected. It is esti- 

 mated that at the present rate of progress it would take 

 300 years to complete the work of organization. 



The selection method is still largely employed, a 

 felling budget by number of trees and volume being 

 determined in the incompletely organized areas; while 

 a clearing system with artificial reforestation is used in 



