with the university, of which it now forms a department. The fundamental and auxiliary sciences, mathematics, natural sciences, chemistry, agriculture, law, etc., are taught by the professors of the university, while those studies that immediately relate to forestry come within the care of this special department.
The academic forest garden occupies six hectares, and Giessen and Schiffenberg forest-reviers in the neighborhood afford opportunities for practical study. The course of instruction extends through two years. Two excursions are made weekly, at which the subject of the lectures is practically illustrated, and the various operations of sylviculture are shown. Besides these, journeys of one or two weeks at a time are taken in summer, under the guidance of one of the teachers. The students of the forest institute enjoy the same rights as those of the university. The average attendance in the forestry department for several years past has been only about fifteen.
In the Grand-duchy of Saxe-Weimar is a forest institute, at Eisenach, with three professors and a course of instruction extending through three semesters. This institute was founded as a private school in 1808 by Oberforstrath König, at Rhula, but was made a state institution in 1830.
The Ducal Polytechnic School of Brunswick, founded in 1745 by Duke Charles I, and the first polytechnic school ever established, has a department of forestry.
In addition to these forest schools of the first order, as they may be termed, are subordinate schools at Weihmstephan and at Lichtenhof, near Nuremberg, besides numerous academies and private schools in which the principles of forestry are taught. Many forestry associations also, in one way or another, encourage the study of this science.
When we consider the limited territory of Germany, as compared with our own country, one can not take even this cursory observation of its forest schools without having the conviction impressed upon him that forestry is there regarded as a subject of the first importance, and that it has interests and relations which are very much if not altogether overlooked by us.
France has an eminent forest school at Nancy, which was established more than fifty years ago, and has a director and ten professors. It is designed to prepare agents for the state forest service, and foresters for the management of forests belonging to communes and public establishments. The number of pupils admitted is regulated by the wants of the administration from time to time. During the last fifty years, the school has graduated about a thousand men. In addition to those admitted to be trained for the public service, a certain number are admitted who are called externes. Great Britain, which has no school of forestry of her own, sends annually to Nancy from five to ten pupils to be trained for the management of her forests in India, and in the South African and other colonies.
