The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1884-03-01
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
a landscape background, against which
is bough of tree upon which is
perched a bird. You would think that
they were a kind of embroidery with
the bird in very high relief. But no: il
is an oil painting with real bird
(pressed rather tlat) mounted on the
Dough. The pictures are by one of the
professors at the Forest school at Eisen-
-Eisenach, not far from the castle
of Wartburg, where Luther threw his
inkstand at Mephistopheles. The per-
son who has charge of this department
knows good deal about the forest
schools, Of the vast tracts of forests
that Germany has there is not square
rod that is not under careful inspection.
This is necessary to keep up the supply
OF fuel, because the Germans cannot be
induced to any great extent to burn
coal, fearing its noxious gases.
The forests of Germany have also as
much a history as those of England. In
the time of the crusades, when the no.
bles wanted to get money to 90 to the
East, the towns would buy their wood
lands; so it happens that there is hardly
a town in Germany which does not pos
sess 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 sixz
teenth century so many of them had
got into the hands of the Jews that
many of the estates We're forfeited.
The new owners, in order to get at
their money in the quickest way, pro-
ceeded to fell the timber. Thus large
tracts were devastated. At this iunct-
ture the Government stepped in and
took the forests under its immediate
protection; and that was the beginning
of the forest royalty. They appointed
a class of officials to look after the well
fare of the trees. Before entering one
of those schools it is needful to have
graduated from one of the public
schools, then to have spent year in
the forests, as assistant, in order to have
some practical knowledge of the art;
another six months must have been de-
voted to the study of forest booking in
order to be able to superintend the cut
ting and selling of the wood At the
end of this time the student is ready to
enter the school, when year and a
half must be devoted to the science and
theory of the business. The course of
study covers the greater part of the
physical sciences, botany, geology,
chemistry, mathematics, mechanics,
arboriculture and agriculture.
The cost of attending the lectures at
the school is about forty dollars year,
while the previous half year given to the
study of forest bookkeeping has been
at the rate of seventy-ive dollars a
year. While at the school the students
are called forest practitioners and affect
the air of the university students.
They also affect peculiar costume
This is short, bright green cloak, a
hat with the wing of forest bird ar
ranged on one side, and high hunting
boots. After graduating they go into
the forests for five years as assistants,
at a salary of SIP year. At the end
of that time they become foresters at a
yearly salary of $500. After five years
as forester they may be promoted to
the position of forest inspector, in
which position they have four districts
under their charge, receive an annual
salary of 800, 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 for
est school at salary of $4,000 odd
very munifcent for Germany, but as
the chances for each one are only one
in hundred, and as 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 arboriculture is carried to the
highest pitch of perfection. As one ex-
presses it, ''the forests of Germany are
as carefully looked after as a garden
patch. ~. Y. Mail and Express.