THE BLACK FOREST.

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its banks are narrowest. Many of these wears are built across the rivcr Enz, where the water immediately above and below them is the favourite resort of trout.

For the purpose of collecting the swimming wood (Floss- hoh ) a barrier or gratin g of wood ( Rechen ) is crected across the river at the entrance of the great valleys or in the neighbonrhood of the manufactories and smclting Works. It is herc arrested and sorted according to its quality by the persons to whoni it bclongs. Different proprietors di- stinguish the wood belonging to each of them by cutting the logs of a particular length, so that even whcn several owners discharge their timber into the river at the same time, it is easily sorted and appropriatcd.

As regards the timber formed into rafts, so Iong the streams are narrow, only a fcw stems are first fastcncd togethcr with bands made of osier-twigs, or of small fir-trees. The smallest trees are placed first, to make the raft narrower in front; three men with long leather boots, mach above their knees stand upon the fore part, and with their long poles guide it. They are up to their aukles in water, their extra clothes hang upon a rail on the raft, and so they go down to the Rhine, shooting every fall, turning every angle with the greatest ease, though their rafts often be several hundred feet in length, looking like long wooden cliains, every link of which might furnish the masts of a man of war. Whcn they wish to stop it, they run one of the middle lengths against the bank, and tbey soon become a vandyke. These raftmen get sixtccn pence a day, which is very high wages for the country; yet as they cannot work in winter when the rivers are frozen, they are not better off than those who are employed at hörne in labours less profitable but morc continuous.