Page:Popular Science Monthly Volume 83.djvu/602

598 certain prescriptive rights that are held and exercised by the common people. These rights include the pasturage of domestic animals, the removal of stumps and certain amount of brushwood, the removal of forest litter, etc. These inherited rights are being bought up as rapidly as possible, and the exercise of them is discouraged in every way. In many places where fully exercised anything like modern constructive forestry is impossible.

Still good will sometimes comes from what is generally regarded as evil. In a fine forest near Ysenburg, the ravages of the larva of the June bug made it impossible to plant successfully the seedlings of the pine in the areas to be reforested. It was found that the soil cover of these areas, which had been removed by the inhabitants, and the presence of an unusually large number of hogs, all due to certain prescriptive rights, were the main influences in causing a thoroughly successful natural seed regeneration. Thus was accomplished what had been regarded as impossible.

The financial success of German forestry depends mainly upon two factors. First, good means of transportation, and, second, the owners, whether they be states, cities, royal families, communities, associations or private individuals, only sell annually about the amount of wood that is produced each year. By so doing the market is never overstocked, the demand is always greater than the supply, and the price is kept above the cost of production. The German forest policy aims to reforest all waste or non-agricultural lands, and to gradually increase the forest area under direct state control. It aims to furnish good means of education and trailing in forestry at the state expense. It is seeking to extend the best possible means of protection, both from animate and inanimate enemies over all forest lands.

Another feature that we may well imitate is to encourage the largest public use of all forests as a means of health, recreation and enjoyment for all the people. While American forestry should not be content to merely follow European methods and teachings, if we would be really progressive, our leaders must acquaint themselves with the best achievements elsewhere, and up to this time no nation can show such results as Germany.