St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1890-12-25
FORESTRY.
What Is Done in Many States and What
Is Needed.

What Is Done in Many States and What
Is Needed.
Last week we gave copious ex
tracts from Mr.. Joseph H. Battell's
address on forestry at a legisla tive
hearing In that address he cited
the article on the subject in the
Encyclopedia britannica and some
of his citations are given below, as
being particularly illuminating in
regard to this important topic:
Forests are of the greatest impor
tance in the general economy OF the
globe, influencing the humidity of the
air and the soil, mitigating the eX-
tremes of heat and cold, affording
shelter to man and beast and enrich
ing the soil on which they grow.
Trees supply timber and fuel to man
and furnish him with a vast variety
of economical products.
The physical history of every coun-
try proves incontestably that mod
crate extent of forest promotes in d
high degree both its agricultural and
its manufacturing interests as well
as the productive resources of the
country at large; and the beneficial
influence of forests in a physical,
economic and hygicnic aspect is now
receiving more of the attention its
Importance deserves. The countries
bordering the Mediterranean-Spain,
France, Italy and Turkey-have all
suffered i'll a marked degree from the
reckless and wholesale destruction of
the woods which covered the noun
tain slopes, and many springs which
formerly existed under the shelter of
the forests have now wholly disap-
peared. Though the insular position
and moist climate of the British Isles
save them from suffering from the
want of forest in an equal degree
with Continental nations, the Anglo
Saxon race has been slow to appre-
ciate the value of the forests with
which nature has so literally clothed
the earth, and the history of North
America, South Africa, Australia
and New Zealand bears testimony to
the same improvidence and need of
consideration. There can be no
doubt that one of the causes of the
terrible famines in India and China
is the unwise denudation of noun
tain slopes where the forests former
ly absorbed a large portion of the
rainfall which now quickly runs off
to the sea. Forest science
constitutes a separate branch of edu
cation in various countries of Europe.
The first technical instruction was
given in the Hartz forest, and Ger
many has taken the lead in develop
ing a wise forest administration.
France, Italy, Sweden and Russia
have successfully established forest
academies, and now the couserva-
ton of woodland occupies the
legislatures of almost all civilized
lands.
for cutting a forest is determined
with great care by q committee of
skilled officers, and is usually divided
into periods of SO many years each.
The term of the oak forest, for exam
pie, say $50 years, is divided into
five periods of thirty years. Each
series of years represents SO many
blocks or portions of forest, and the
yearly cuttings are arranged SO as
to cover certain extent of ground,
and when one block has been felled
another reaches maturity. France
has state department for the adj
ministratiOn of the forests, and a
very detailed code of forest laws
In Germany forestry is eagerly fol
lowed as a profession, and forest
academies are numerous and well
organized. The examina ton of can
didates is very strict, and the result
of the system has been most bene
fetal. In forest science Germany is
far advanced and the literature is
especially rich. Every tract is care
fully surveyed and treated on a work
ing plan made with great eXactness
as to actual details and expected
growth; care is always taken that
in high forests there is a good growth
of Self-SOWn trees before the old crop
is entirely removed. Systematic OBJ
servation and experiments are made
as to the rate of growth, and the
best soil for each description of
trees.
The principal state forests in Eng
ldIu are W lIluSOI al h. 1t,OOO ACRES,
the New Forest, etc, III Hampshire,
76. 900 acres, and the Dean Forest
in Gloucestershire, %, 500 acres.
The total extent of crown forests is
about 125 900 acres, and the timber
growing upon them is valued at be
tween two and the millions of
pounds These wooded tracts are
under careful management. The
total receipts from Royal forests ex-
elusive of Windsor amounted in 1876
to 33. 129 pounds The largest for
ests In Scotland are in Perthshire,
Inverness-shire and Aberdeenshire
OF these the most notable are the
earl of Mansfeld's near Scone 5000
acres.) the duke of Athol's larch plan
tations near Dunkeld 10000 acres,
and in Strathspey large extent of
Scotch FIR, partly native, partly
planted belonging to the earl of
Seafeld. The last named forest has
been regularly planted in such grada-
ton as to cut 1000 acres annually
on rotation of sixty years. i.
Forest management In Sweden is
in course of progressive development.