SILVICULTURE. 



191 



In fact, the application of silviculture, i.e. the 

 systematic production of wood-crops as a business 

 proposition, in our culled, mismanaged woodlands 

 throughout the United States is, in most cases, 

 possible only where the means exist of utilizing 

 this inferior material ; for the risks from fire are 

 too great, or else the casTi which would otherwise 

 have to be spent in .making room for the young 

 crop will surely exceed reasonable proportions. 

 Only the state or other long-lived corporations can 

 afford to spend money now in the hope of ade- 

 quate returns in a distant future. 



That it is finally possible to reduce the fire dan- 

 ger to a minimum by proper police regulations and 

 by silvicultural measures, and by proper manage- 

 ment and organization, is attested by the forest 

 fire statistics of the German forest administrations, 

 to which we have already. referred on pp. 137 and 

 190. 



To these we may add that in any given longer 

 period within the last 25 years the acreage de- 

 stroyed in Prussia or Bavaria (about 10,000,000 

 acres) rarely exceeds .005 per cent of the total forest 

 area under state control. In a recent report (1896) 

 we read of " very considerable damage by fire " 

 occurring in the Prussian state forests, referring 

 to the burning over, not total loss, of 2500 acres. 

 One fire is reported as destroying 1000 acres of a 

 "hopeful" pine and spruce plantation 20 to 25 

 years old. In the next year ( 1 897) the entire loss 



