Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1884-04-03
Forests of Germany.


In the German section of the Boston
Fair are two pictures that attract ones
attention. They are in deep frames.
and are covered with glass. There is q
landscape background, against which
is bough of tree upon which is
perched a bird. You would think that
they were kind of embroidery with
the bird in very high relief. But no;
it is an oil painting with real bird
(pressed rather flaD mounted on the
bough. The pictures are by one of the
professors at the Forest School at Else
nach-Eisenach, not far from the for
est of Wartburg, where Luther threw
his inkstand AZ Mephistopheles. The
person who has charge of this depart
ment knows a good deal about the for
est schools. OF the vast tracts of forest
that Germany has, there is not square
rod that is not under careful inspection.
This is necessary in order to keep up
the supply of fuel, because the Ger
mans cannot be induced to any great
extent 10 burn coal. fearing its noxious
gases.
The forests of Germany have also as
much of history as those of England.
In the time of the crusades, when the
mobiles wanted TO get money TO go to
the east, the towns would buy their
woodlands; so it happens that there is
hardly town in Germany which does
not possess fine forest tracts. And it Is
well that they should have got hold of
them. as the private owners seem to
have been irresponsible personages. In
the sixteenth century so many of them
had got into the hands of the Jews that
many of the estates were forfeited. The
new owners, in order to get at their
money in the quickest way. proceeded
to fell the timber. Thus large tracts
were devastated. At this juncture the
government stepped in and took the
forests under its immediate protection;
and that was the beginning of the forest
royalty. Tney appointed class of of.
ficials to look after the welfare of the
trees. Before entering one of the schools
it is needful to have graduated from
one of the public schools; then to have
spent year in the forests rs assistant,
in order to have some practical knowl-
edge of the art; another six months
must have been devoted to the study of
forest booking in order to be able to
superintend the cutting and selling OF
the wood. At the end of this time the
student is ready to enter the school,
when year and half must be de-
voted to the science and theory of the
business.
The cost of attending the lectures at
the school is about $40 a year, while
the previous half year given to the
study of forest bookkeeping has been
at the rate of $75 year. While at the
school the students are called forest
practitioners, and affect the air of the
university students. They also affect a
peculiar costume. This is short, bright
green cloak, hat with the wing of
forest bird arranged on one side, and
high hunting boots. After graduating
they 90 into the forests for five years
as assistants, at salary of $112
year. At the end of that time they be-
come foresters at q yearly salary of
$500. After five years as forester they
may be promoted to the position of for
est inspector, in which position they
have four districts under their charge,
receive an annual salary of $500, with
some gratuities, and look out for the
moneys accruing from the timber.
They have now reached the topmost
bough to which they can reasonably
hope to attain. There is, of course,
the position of head of the Forest
School at the salary of $4,000 odd
(very munifcent for Germany, but as
the chances for each one are only one
in hundred, and it is only the most
talented that are chosen, it is to be pre-
sumed that they do not reckon on it
with any confidence. These foresters
support thirteen newspapers especially
dedicated to their science, two of which
are illustrated, and, by them, the sci
ence OF arboricullure is carried to the
highest pitch of perfection. As one
expresses it, 'the forests of Germany
are as carefully looked after as gar
den. patch. "