The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1914-03-20
FORESTRY IN sAxoNY
How Experience of That Country
Might Benefit Vermont

Might Benefit Vermont
Burlington, March 1.-the Yer
mont department of forestry has is
sued the following bulletin relative
to the methods used in Saxony ant
showing how the ideas carried out in
that country might apply to Yer
mont.
Saxony has been one of the most
successful countries in the building
of It's forests, the state owning about
As per cent OF the whole forest area
or 445,3S0 acres, of which only 49,,
65S were productive. The CHIEF
timbers raised are the Norway
spruce and Scotch pine, with some
areas Of silver fir, larch, oak
beech and other hard woods
80 per cent of the state forests are
in conifers, because these woods have
been found the most profitable for
raising While it has been easily
proved that the conifers are more pro
fitable than the hardwoods, it is more
difficult to decide between spiace and
pine. some of the Saxon foresters fa-
vor one, some the other. Some soils
are particularly adapted for the
spruce, and some for the pine, but
large areas can be equally well used
for either species. Very little dam
age is done in Saxony or other parts
Of Germany, by forest fires the chief
enemy of Saxon forests being high
wind-storms, as can be readily under
stood from the large percentage of
spruce, which have shallow root sys-
tens, similar to those of the Ameri-
can spruce. Snow also does consider
able damage, and in certain localities
a good deal of damage Is also done
by the red deer, especially to the
spruce, so that it is necessary to pro-
tect the young stands Of spruce by
fencing.
The dense population of Saxony
makes marketing of the wood materi-
al very profitable. Numerous wood
working industries exist in different
parts of the state. Before establish
ing such an industry. the owner first
looks about to see where he can find
a permanent supply of wood or lum-
Der, such as he requires, and when
located he can be sure that the sup
ply will never be cut off. One of the
most interesting manufactures Of
Of this kind is the toy-making indus
try Of Erzgebirge. The rougher part
of the work is done in the factory,
and the finishing off and painting of
the toys is carried on in the homes
Of the workers.
One of the things that makes fores-
try so profitable in Saxony, is the
splendid condition of the forest roads
Almost every area is penetrated with
good road system. The forests are
usually allowed to grow for q period
OF so years, which is considered the
economic rotation. Then the mature
timber Is cut off and young forests
are at once planted. This is contra
airy to the practice of natural repro
duction employed in some parts Of
Germany. The total gross income
from the state forests in 1911, vas
about $4147,OO0, but the expenses Of
management were S1,666,O00; leaving
a net profit of $2,4s0,000, or $3.50 per
acre. The expenses of management
,noIuJa ,,,ch tame ac mood -ohnnnarc'
wages. $551.2S0; administration, 5000,
$50; Improvement work, including
planting, $295,5S0. 1t is of interest
to note that the government values
its forests at the enormous sum of
$lOO,7S 600, or an average of $237 an
acre. The individual forests vary in
size from 1900 to $1,000 acres, and ex
perienee there, as elsewhere, shows
that the larger forests are more prof
liable.
The idea of the forester In SaXony
Is to get just as large a net profit as
possible from his land, while the pre-
vailing idea in Prussia. which also
has extensive forests, is TO supply the
greatest amount of lumber for the
home industries.
This record of accomplishment in
the forests of Saxony should be OF
interest to Vermonters, since the nat
ural conditions here are fully equal
to those in SaXony. II II per cent OF
the forested area of Vermont were
purchased by the state. it would form
a state forest as large as that of Sax
ony, and in time Vermont might ex-
pect to have an income of the same
proportion. There would be a per
p,anant anpnlx of tin,har for tho nil