Certain King

A certain King, when arrived at

the end of his days, having no heir, directed in his will that, in the morning

after his death, the first person who entered the gate of the city, they should

place on his head the crown of royalty, and commit to his charge the government

of the kingdom. It happened that the first person who entered the city gate was

a beggar, who all his life had collected scraps of victuals and sewed patch

upon patch. The ministers of state and the nobles of the court carried into

execution the King’s will bestowing on him the kingdom and the treasure. For

some time the I hinvesli governed the kingdom, until part of the nobility

swerved their necks from his obedience, and all the surrounding monarchs,

engaging in hostile confederacies, attacked him with their armies. In short,

the troops and peasantry were thrown into confusion, and he lost the possession

of some territories.

 The

Durwesh was distressed at these events, when an old friend, who had been his

companion in the days of poverty, returned from a journey, and finding him in

such exalted state, said, “Praised be the God of excellence and glory, that

your high fortune lies aided you and prosperity been your guide, so that a rose

has issued from the briar, and the thorn has been extracted from your foot, and

you have arrived at this dignity. Of a truth, joy succeeds sorrow: the bud

sometimes blossoms and sometimes withers: the tree is sometimes naked and

sometimes clothed. “He replied, “0 brother, condole with me, for this is not a

time for congratulation. When you saw me last, I was only anxious how to obtain

bread; but now I have all the cares of the world to encounter. If the times are

adverse, I am in pain; and if they are prosperous, I am captivated with worldly

enjoyments. There is no calamity greater than worldly affairs, because they

distress the heart in prosperity as well as in adversity.

If you want riches, seek only for

contentment, which is inestimable wealth, if the rich man should throw money

into your lap, consider not yourself obliged to him; for I have often heard it

said by pious men, that the patience of the poor is preferable to the

liberality of the rich. If Bahrain should roast a nagger (wild ass) to be

distributed amongst the people, it would not be equal to the leg of a locust to

an ant.”

THE FELLING OF TIMBER

The State fells both its own forests and

those belonging to the parishes, according to a programme drawn up every year

by the Ministry.

Private owners fell their forests according

to certain plans arranged in tables.

There are three systems of management: (1)

the State fells its own forests and those belonging to the parishes; (a) the

right of felling is disposed of by auction; (3) the right of felling is handed

over to a third party.

The sales of timber, etc., take place

either by auction, or in the way of a concession, or retail to the inhabitants

of the district according to tariffs drawn up by the forest authorities.

Felling of pines and firs takes place all

the year. The other forests are felled, from September 15th to March 31st.

The proceeds from the State forests go, of

course, to the State Treasury. So do the proceeds from the parish forests. But

the State spends this revenue exclusively on the upkeep of the parish forests

and returns any excess to the respective parishes. As a rule, the parishes are

allowed no say in the management of their forests.

PROPAGATION AND RENEWAL OF FORESTS

Villages situated in forests are obliged to

afforest 45 per cent, of their land, those near forests 25 p.c., and those in

the open country 6 p.c. of their land.

Wherever the area afforested falls short of

these proportions resort must be made to artificial methods. Certain districts

of particular importance are also afforested. The work is carried on under

State inspection.

Owing to the fact that the soil of Bulgaria

is rich in vegetable matter, young trees take root with vigour and, although no

particular care has as yet been taken of the plantations, very good results

have been obtained. Dozens of hectares have been reafforested in several

districts. Most of the planters have been influenced, not by any speculative

project, but by a wish to beautify their estates or improve their hygienic

condition. The reafforesting of already existing forests takes place by natural

methods in conjunction with a periodical and rational system of felling, this

system being at once the least costly and the best adapted to the different

kinds of timber. But one thing must be observed: owing to the want of

experience of Bulgarian foresters, the national system of renewal leads to a

crossing of the different kinds, and the high forests are changed into low

growth. The reverse is seldom the case.

Quantity of timber

It is interesting to consider

the quantity of timber furnished annually by our forests

with regard to its grades of quality. The following tables show us the

quantities of timber felled during the last three years:

STATE FORESTS

Building material in cubic

metres.           Fuel in cubic metres.     Charcoal In kilograms.

1901      56,43163              190,28656           1,244,806

1902      94,67638              206,82252           1,246,336

1903      87,30140              209,87323           1,438,351

PARISH FORESTS             

1901      98,48949              346,58185           3,397,829

1902      160,35680            639,05795           3,911,189

1903      131,9497o           564,98473           4,362,816

PRIVATE PROPERTY       

1901      116,22510            509,36015           1,350,474

1902      100,92079            686,23228           1,357,271

1903      142,69404            590,46144           757,005

To these figures should be

added the quantity oi timber which is cut in a contraband fashion, and this is

considerable.

These figures, reduced to a

standard area for all classes of forests, prove :

(1)          That a hectare of the State forests yields on an average:

08084 cm. of building timber.

08672 cm. of fuel

48353 kilograms of charcoal.

(2)          That a hectare of the parish forests yields on an average:

08083 cm. of building timber.

08330 cm. of fuel.

2848 kilograms of charcoal.

(3)          That a hectare of the forests of private owners yields on

an average:

8821 cm. of building timber.

077 cm. of fuel.

2801 kilograms of charcoal.

Revenue of the products and

byproducts of the forests during the same three years :

STATE FORESTS

Year.     Building timber. Francs. Fuel.

Franca. Byprod ucta. Franca.      Total.

Franca.

1901      88,49714              135,15707           16,948   230,60221

1902      140,32315            154,11486           22,850   317,28801

1903      184,20773            181,73209           25,411   391,35081

                               PARISH FORESTS             

Year.     Building timber. Franca.               Fuel.

Franca. Byproducts.

Francs. Total.

Franca.

1901      I42,3018I2           303,03616           12051    457,38828

1902      185,67802            357,11287           16767    559,55789

1903      198,26597            365,22599           12439    575,93096

No allowance is made for

illegal felling.

From these data we can see

that a hectare of State forest brings in 0*34 francs per annum, and a hectare

of parish forest 0*34 francs. This small yield may be attributed to the low

tariff for State and parish timber, and to the heavy cost of transport. The

revenues are equal because of the uniformity of these tariffs.

2. VARIETIES OF TREES

Bulgaria possesses a great

variety of leafbearing trees and conifers; those of the former class are most

abundant. Those specially cultivated are the oak (Quercus pedunculate, Q.

sessiliflora, Q. cents); the beech (Fagus sylvatica); the common ash (Fraxinus

excelsior); the elm (Ulmus campestris, U. effusa, U. montend); the plane tree

(Acer platenoides, A* pseudoplatanus, A. campestre); the yokeelm (Carpinus

bettu lus); the lime (Tibia grandifolia, T. parvifolio, T. argentea); the

willow (Salix caprea, S. pentandra); the poplar (Populus tretnula, P. alba, P.

nigra). The commonest conifers are the pine (Pinus sylvestris, P. austriaca, P.

pence, P. mughus) and the fir (Picea excelsa, P. pidinata).

The forests of the

Principality are rich in shrubs and herbs of all kinds. Among the more

noteworthy are the following : Alnus viridis, Berberis vulgaris, Cerasus

chamaecerasus, Cornis (C. mas, C. sanguinea, C. pentogyna), Daphne mesereum,

Hedena Helix, Ligustrum vulgare, Lonicera (L. xylosieutn, L. caprifolia, L.

nigra), Prunus spinosa, Ramnus (R. catharactica, R. frangula), Rus cotinus,

Rosa (R. alpina, R. conina), Salix (5. fragilis, S. purpurea, S. viminalis),

Satnbucus (S. racemosa), Vaccinum (V. myrtillus, V. vitisidaeca), Vibutnum (V.

opulis, V. lantena), Viscum album, etc.

PATROLLING OF THE FORESTS

The patrolling of the forests is confided,

as we have already seen, to special keepers. There are 500 of these for the

State forests and 2,135 for the parish forests. That is to say there is a

keeper to every I,8O5 hectares of State forest and to every 734 hectares of

parish forest.

In spite of the keepers’ vigilance, much

damage is done in malice or by theft. The country people have not yet grasped

the importance of the preservation of forests for rural economy, and the

keepers are not yet well trained for performing their difficult task.

GENERAL CONDITION OF THE FORESTS

All the forests of the Principality are not

as yet classified, still less subdivided and surveyed and their boundaries

marked. All have not as yet been seriously taken in hand.

No distinction has been made between

forests pure and simple and the other possessions of the Bulgarian peasant.

Vineyards are to be found among the forests, and are in their turn divided by

fields and meadows; all these things shade into one another. That is the reason

why our peasants do not, as yet, see any great difference between a meadow and

a forest, a vineyard and a meadow. They pasture their cattle anywhere and

everywhere and at any time, without distinguishing between young forests and

old ones, without even any regard to fresh plantations. This is the way with

most of the peasants, and it results from their notions of rural economy. Hence

come all the difficulties which hinder at every step the work of restoring and

preserving our forests.

On the other hand, the Bulgarian government

makes every effort to stop the devastation of forests and establish a state of

things which shall safeguard the wellbeing of the rural population.

The finest forests of tall timber lie on the

most inaccessible heights of StaraPlanina, Rilo, the Rhodopes, and Sredna Gora.

Such are the beechwoods of Berkovitza, Vratza, Teteven, and indeed those on

most of the northern slopes of StaraPlanina and SrednaGora between the village

of Klis soura (Carlovo) and StaroNovo Selo (Philippopolis).

The forests of the Rilo Monastery are

particularly rich and well preserved. These forests would form the basis of a

very profitable speculation if the necessary funds were forthcoming. An

important Sofia firm (Balabanoff brothers) has purchased the concession for

twenty years, starting from 1902. The Rilo forests are coniferous.

The ash and elm plantations at Longosa,

along the river Kamtschia to the Black Sea, 30 kilometres from Varna, deserve

special mention. Lower down, there are woods of low growth, the timber of which

is particularly hard and good; for instance, the woods of Hasakia at Bourgas,

of Guenichada at Varna, of Balaband£r6 at Autos, and Caramas Kala at Anchialo.

Altogether, the forests of the Principality

are of great promise, thanks to the natural richness of the country, even

though as yet their importance has not been universally realised.

The improvement of our forests demands

enormous sacrifices, but on the other hand a time will come when the revenue

from the forests will play an important part in the State budget. The Bulgarian

Government, fully aware of its duties and its interests, concentrates its

efforts to this end: to make our forests, by the simplest means, in the near

future a source of riches, which are so sorely needed by the young State for

the completion of its organisation.

Neighborhoods of Varna

Plantation has been, and unfortunately

still is, carried on in a very primitive fashion. However, in the neighborhoods

of Varna, Pravadia, Anchialo, Altos, Bourgas, Peschtera, and

elsewhere there are excellent plantations of a better class. The woods are

thick and in good condition, consisting of magnificent oaks, pines, and Picea

excelsa. The trees are tall, round, and smooth. These better kinds of trees are

rare in the other districts, or only to be found in small isolated groups. Good

thick forests have been preserved in outoftheway places difficult of access. No

doubt, when they are connected with the principal arteries of modem traffic

they will be the object of remunerative undertakings.

As to the quality of the kinds of wood, it

should be observed that it is superior to those of exotic growth. Bulgarian

timber is distinguished by its numerous annual rings, its bright colours, rich

structure, and relative flexibility. In a word, it possesses all the qualities

which make wood durable and useful for all kinds of purposes.

As regards climate and vegetation, Bulgaria

may be divided into four zones:

(1)          The

Warm Zone.—This zone is partly lowlying, partly as high as 400 metres above

sealevel. Formerly it was covered by vast forests. Their place is now occupied

by plains under cultivation. The soil is damp for a considerable depth. The

characteristic tree of the zone is the Quercus pedunculate, which is to be

found by itself or mixed with Ulmus,Acer cam pestre, Fraxinus, Carpinus and

Tilia. Quercus cerris flourishes in poor dry land.

(2)          The

Moderate Zone runs almost parallel above the first. The characteristic tree is

Quercus sessiliflora. The plantations are thick, the trees tall and well grown.

In the higher districts the beech is also to be found.

(3)          The

Cold Zone begins where beeches are to be found, and reaches an altitude of

1,300 metres above sealevel. The principal tree is the beech; indeed this zone

might be called the Beech Zone. Although the largest and most wooded of the

three, it is the least valuable; lying as it does in hilly districts, cut off

from means of communication, its immense reserves of timber cannot be utilised.

There are very beautiful woods composed entirely of beech, and others where the

beech occurs mixed with ash and plane. The southern slopes of Rilo and the

Rhodopes and their valleys abound in firs. The higher districts of the beech

zone contain the Picea excelsa, which grows at still higher altitudes.

(4)          The

fourth and highest zone of vegetation extends from 1,300 to 2,000 metres above

sealevel. It begins with the beech, mixed with Picea excelsa, but the latter

has almost the monopoly of this zone, and very thick woods of it are to be

found. The lower boundaries are scattered with pines, above which Pinus pence

grows in beautiful groups or fine single trees. Above this (1,800 metres above

sealevel) Pinus mughus appears among the Picea excelsa. Still higher there is

nothing but bare rocks.

Forests of Bulgaria

The vertical partition of the forests

of Bulgaria is shown in the following table :

Owners.              Up

to 400 m. above sea. Hectares.          4001

,000 m. above sea. Hectares.          1,0003,000

m. above sea. Hectares.

The State            296,5469              347,5467              258,525

Parishes              791,365                466,6487              307,2283

Private owners 314,30745            179,38185           79,57885

                1,402,21935        993,577*25         645,3318

Administration of Forests

The superintendence of the forests of the

Principality is in the hands of the Ministry of Commerce and Agriculture. A

special department of the Ministry is charged with the execution of the forest

laws. The staff consists of a chief of the department, an inspectorgeneral of

forests, an engineer for forests, and two assistant chiefs.

The territory is divided into forest

districts, each including several administrative centres which, in turn,

control a certain number of forest stations.

In accordance with the budget of 1905, the

service is performed by six district inspectors, forty foresters, and twenty

adjuncts. This is, so to speak, the upper staff of the administration of

forests. There is, therefore, a district inspector to every 506,856‘4 hectares

and a forester to every 76,028*15 hectares.

This year the Ministry created a special

bureau to superintend the canalization of mountain streams. It is to consist of

a chief of the department (a foreigner), two assistant chiefs (one of whom is

to be a foreigner), an engineer, a draughtsman, and an administrator. The

bureau will start work as soon as the staff is appointed.

Considerable technical knowledge is

required of the upper staff of foresters. The six district inspectors have gone

through a thorough training in their speciality. Of the forty foresters,

twenty-eight have passed through a school of forestry, six have had a special

training, and the others are all more or less prepared for the service.

The duty of patrolling the forests is

confided to keepers specially appointed for the purpose. The budget provides

for one keeper to every 1,500 hectares of forest and from three to seven

foresters of a higher grade to every administrative center. There are, besides,

a great number of subalterns for different services. All this staff belongs to

the State; the parish forests also employ foresters, one to every 50,000

hectares.

Functionaries budget

The salaries of all these functionaries

are provided for in the budget as follows:

A district inspector of the first class

receives 4,800 francs per annum, with 600 francs for travelling expenses.

A district inspector of the second class

receives 4,200 francs per annum with 600 francs for travelling expenses.

A forester of the first class receives

3,600 francs per annum, with 300 francs for the keep of a horse.

A forester of the second class receives

3,000 francs per annum, with 300 francs for the keep of a horse.

A forester of the third class receives

2,400 francs per annum, with 300 francs for the keep of a horse.

An adjunct of the first class receives

2,100 francs per annum, with 240 francs for the keep of a horse.

An adjunct of the second class receives

1,440 francs per annum, with 240 francs for the keep of a horse.

A head keeper receives 1,080 francs per

annum, a mounted keeper 840 francs, a keeper 600 francs.

The keepers in the parish forests receive

respectively: head keepers 900 francs, mounted keepers 720 francs, keepers 480

francs.

Private owners of forests are obliged to

employ their own keepers.

The total budget for forests in the year

1905 was 739,820 francs, 641,829 francs of which was spent in salaries, the

remaining 98,000 francs on the improvement of the forests.