184 Switzerland. 
Artificial means to secure complete stands in natural 
regenerations is favored by the cantonal regulations, but 
thinning operations are still mostly neglected, except 
where local market for inferior material makes them 
advisable which is mostly in the plains country, where 
the annual yield from thinnings may represent 30% of 
the total harvest yield. 
Conversion from coppice and coppice with standards 
into timber forest and change from clearing systems to 
natural regeneration (proper for mountain forest) and 
from pure to mixed forest have become general provis- 
ions of the working plans. 
The average cut in the State forests during 4 years 
prior to 1893 was over 64 cub. ft. p. acre and 42 cub. ft. 
for the corporation forests, an average for all the public 
forests of round 45 cub. ft., not a very good showing as 
yet. So far the collection of material for yield tables 
and for a statement of increment and stock on hand in 
the country at large are still insufficient, although in 
1882 Prof. Landolt estimated the annual product at lit- 
tle less than 500 million cubic feet or 50 cubic feet per 
acre. 
Only for the intensively managed city forests of 
Zurich and the cantonal forests of Bern are more ac- 
curate data available. In the latter the State forests 
yield 50 cubic feet in the plateau country, 73 cubic feet 
in the middle country and 76 cubic feet in the Jura, 
while the communal forests yield 15, 66 and 56 cubic 
feet respectively. Prices for wood are higher in the low 
country than the average in Germany and have been 
steadily rising for the last 40 years, especially for coni- 
ferous saw material which at present brings stumpage 
prices of 12 to 15 cents. 
