TUE BLACK FOREST.

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Black Forest, there to seek tliat, whicli nature liad denicd to tlieir marslies —timber, wherewith to build their mcrchant- sbips and men of war. The profits realized from tliis trade soon encouraged tbe liardy momitaineers to venture out opon the broad rivcr on tlieir own account; tliey ran tlieir rafts down theRhine, selling tliem at tbe places along its banks wliere tliey found tbe most profitable markets, and returned to tb'eir bome witli full pockets. Tbe knowledge of new scencs and luxuries whicli these adventurers spread in tlieir valleys, could not fail to raise a spirit of enterprize by wliich all were benefited.—Wben the wealthy, by underselling their poorer bretbren in tbe new markets, threatcned to monopolizc tbe timber trade, the latter formed associations, whicli, govcrncd by regulations of tlieir own, by tbe force of Union, and tbe accumulation of Capital, speedily regained tbe ground, tlieir single mcmbers liad lost by disjointed effbrts. Thus originated tbe rafting-companies ( Flössergesell- schäften) of Schiltach, Wolfach, Gernsbach, Pforzheim and Calw, whicli are still tbe mcans of spreading greater in- dustry and wcalth in their neighbouring districts. Since the comniencement of the present Century, timber bas con- siderably risen in price, as, owing to tbe bad state of forest-culture and to the annually rising deinand for timber, the public anticipated a scarcity of tliis staple-commodity of the Black Forest. Although tliis current belief bas been contrudicted by experience, prices liavc retained tlieir liigh Standard, wliich is tbe reason tliat the proportion of land, dedicated to forest-culture, is still on the incrcase, so tliat evcn a great quantity of ground formerly devoted to agri- culture bas been plantet! with timber. Thus in tbe year 1843, in tbe Badish portion of tbe Black Forest, the returns of Government, under tbe licad of forests, siiowed an increase of 20,714 morgen, by a decrease of 9493 morgen, leaving