Restrictive Policy. 75 
selves were not allowed to cut a tree without sanction of 
some forest official, and could not sell any wood without 
permission, even down to hoppoles, although the large 
landed property owners strenuously resisted this assump- 
tion of supervisory powers. Much discussion and argu- 
ment regarding the origin of this right to supervision 
was carried on by the jurists, who upon the basis of 
Roman law doctrine, proved it to be of ancient date. 
The degree, however, to which this supervision was de- 
veloped varied considerably in the different parts of the 
empire, according to different economic conditions. The 
interference with and protection of forests appeared 
more necessary where advanced civilization and denser 
population created greater need for it. We find there- 
fore that the restrictive policy was much more developed 
in the Southern and Western territories than in the 
Northern and Eastern ones, where such development 
begins two hundred years later. 
11. Forest Administration. 
The administration of the different forest properties 
which the princes had aggregated in the course of time 
was at first a part of the general administration of the 
princely property. The requirements in the woods being 
merely to look after utilization and protection, illiterate 
underlings (Forstknechte) were sufficient to carry out 
the police functions, generally under a Forstmeister, or 
Oberforstmeister, who from time to time would make an 
inspection tour. Later on when a more intensive forest 
management had come into existence it became custom- 
ary to call in for such inspection experienced foresters 
from outside to give advice. 
