8 



for wood, the warning was heeded, and systematic State forestry was 

 begun. After all, the scare was not a false one, for even to-day Ger- 

 many is not independent as regards wood, since she has to import one- 

 sixth of all she uses. 



In addition to the wood-supply question, Germany was forced to 

 undertake forestry by the need of protecting agriculture and stream 

 flow. The troubles which France was having with her mountain tor- 

 rents opened the eyes of the Germans to the dangers from floods in 

 their own land. As a result the maintenance of protective forests 

 was provided for by Bavaria in 1852, by Prussia in 1875, and by 

 Wlirttemberg in 1879. 



Each State of the German federation administers its own forests. 

 All of the States practice forestry with success. The results obtained 

 by Prussia and Saxony are particularly interesting, for they show 

 how forests may be kept constantly improving under a system of 

 management which jaelds a handsome profit.^ 



The Prussian forests, covering nearly 7,000,000 acres, are made up 

 much as if we should combine the pineries of the Southern States with 

 the forests of some of our Middle Atlantic and Central States. 

 When forestry was begun a great part of them had been injured. by 

 mismanagement, much as our forests 'have been, and the Prussian 

 foresters had to solve the ]3roblem of improving the run-down forests 

 out of the returns from those which were still in good condition. 

 They solved it with striking success. Immense improvement has 

 already taken place and is steadily going on. 



The method of management adopted calls for a sustained yield — 

 that is, no more wood is cut than the forest produces. Under this 

 management the growth of the forest, and consequently the amount 

 cut, has risen sharply. In 1830 the yield was 20 cubic feet per acre; 

 in 1865, 24 cubic feet ; in 1890, 52 cubic feet, and 1904, 65 cubic feet. 

 In other words, Prussian forest management has multiplied the rate 

 of production threefold in seventy-five years. And the quality of the 

 product has improved with the quantity. Between 1830 and 1904 the 

 percentage of saw timber rose from 19 per cent to 54 per cent. 



It is a striking fact in this connection that in the United States 

 at the present time w^e are using about three times as much timber as 

 our forests grow. If we were everywhere practicing forestry with a 

 resulting improvement equal to that made in Prussia,- our forests 

 would be growing as much as we use. 



The financial returns in Prussia make an even better showing. Net 

 returns per acre in 1850 were 28 cents. In 1865 they were 72 cents; 

 in 1900, $1.58 ; and in 1904, $2.50. They are now nearly 10 times what 



" See Financial Results of Forest Management, by Dt. B. E. Fernow, in 

 Forestry and Irrigation for February, 1907. 

 [Cir. 140] 



