* The forests of the military colonists were added in 1866. The income from the forests of the military colonists amounts to about 35,000 roubles.
Roubles. Roubles. Roubles. Roubles.
Given gratis, - 57 60 61 2,052
Duty for billets, - 61 53 26
Reeds, hay, &c., sold, 2,174 3,362 3,882 1,262
' In the Novomirgorod forestry, district of Alexandria, is situated the estate of Tchernoless, or black forest, remarkable in New Russia for its great size (3,561 desatins 227 fathoms), for the government of Kherson, as well as the age and denseness of the plantation, and besides this, by the different archaeological tronvailles and researches near this estate. The trading importance of this estate is characterised by the sale of 98 desatins for 27,794 roubles. In this forestry and district is the Neronbaiev estate of 2,827 desatins 220 fathoms, from which were sold 2 desatins for 1,120 roubles. In consequence of the importance of these two estates we consider it necessary to relegate some particulars about them to a separate article, as likewise others relating to the Tchouticansby estate, Krilov forest district, from which 66 desatins were sold for 18,952 roubles.
•' By the value of the cuttings are distinguished likewise the following estates: —
' 1. Boboskhov, 173 desatins 2,280 fathoms. Of this general area there are under forest, 140 desatins 1700 fathoms; under plantations by forest guards, 5 desatins 400 fathoms; under appurtenances, 26 desatins 1,500 fathoms; waste, 1 desatin 1,080 fathoms. Of the forest area there are under oak, 80 desatins; yoke-elm, 20 desatins; different leaved trees, 32 desatins; bare places, 8 desatins; sold 2 desatins for 549 roubles.
' 2. Zaidovsk, 158 desatins 850 fathoms, of which there are forest area, 143 desatins 700 fathoms; plantations by forest guards, 5 desatins 400 fathoms; appurtenances, 8 desatins 500 fathoms; waste, 1 desatin 1,650 fathoms.
Oak is the predominant plant; 5 desatins were sold for 857 roubles.
' 3. Plosko-Samarin, 152 desatins 857 fathoms. Of this there are forest area, 94 desatins; to forest guard, 10 desatins 800 fathoms; appurtenances, 44 desatins 400 fathoms; waste, 3 desatins 1,557 fathoms; sold 5 desatins for 717 roubles.
General Remarks on the Forests of the Governments of Kherson and Ekatherinoslav.
' In the governments of Ekatherinoslav and Kherson the forests are barely 1 desatin to 100 desatins of the general area, and this is according to the statistics of the Russian empire; although more than the actual proportion it is very near it. In the survey of each government we have stated why the cipher of forests is generally higher; but if we accept the figures given, and reckon a little larger amount of forest area, then in that case the Kherson and Ekatherinoslav governments present a rare exception in Russia for their having few forests.
c Notwithstanding the proximity of the sea and the great rivers, as for instance the Dnieper, Dnester, Bug, and others, water these governments at short distances, droughts in these governments are very frequent, and with these there are frequently bad crops.
' The want of forests in these governments it is difficult to meet by means of plantations. In the governments of Ekatherinoslav, Kherson, and the northern parts of Taurida, forest plantations have made more progress than in other governments. The example given by government was not lost, many private individuals having occupied themselves with planting trees in the suburbs of Odessa and Nicolaiev. In the districts of Kherson, Bobrinetz, Ananiev, and Alexandria, plantations have been made on many tens of desatins, and there are already two estates with several hundred desatins — in the village Trikratach, 380 desatius, arid in Skalevatnack, 260 desatins; and besides, in the crown villages they have been planting with considerable success. But if we reckon the planting of trees in this country from the sowing of acorns in the neighbourhood of Nicolaiev, by the order of Prince Poterakin, in Taurida, then it will appear that the planting of forests has since then made little progress; and at the present time in the three governments, Kherson, Ekatherinoslav, and northern parts of Taurida, not more than 10,000 desatins have been planted. During the time of serf labour many occupied themselves with this on private estates, but have given over doing so now, commercial calculations having put a stop for many years to the slow process of forest planting.