Butlar, Rudolph von

Educated at the Freiberg Mining Academy and the University of Gottingen . After completing his studies for thirty years, he managed the forests in his estates Elberberg (Glasgüttenforst), near Münden (Prussia, Hesse-Kassel), and Siegenhagener in northern Hesse . From 1833 to 1848, he was a member of the Permanent Assembly of the Hessian Elector from Dimelstorm, representing a conservative party, in 1851 he was a representative of the Hessian electorate in Dresden .

Invented a new method of planting seedlings of forest trees, described by him in the essay "Forstkulturverfahren" (1853), quickly adopted in professional circles; soon he began to be described in almost any textbook on forestry. This method, which was characterized by comparative cheapness, was applicable only on loose soils and consisted in the fact that the pits for seedlings - 1-year-old pine and 2-year-old other tree species - were prepared with special cast-iron short (no more than 10-12 inches long) stakes weighing about 6 pounds. The stake had the shape of a tetrahedral pointed pyramid with rounded edges; in the middle of it there was often a longitudinal hole for hanging it when carrying it to the worker’s belt; a short and integral handle with a stake was located at an obtuse angle to it and was lined with leather. Although this seedling stake is called the name of Butlar, it was already described in 1715 by Johann Elsgoltsens under the name plantator buxi, since it was made at that time more often from boxwood than from iron. The use of the stake was rather peculiar: the worker, bending to the surface of the soil, threw a stake in front of him so that he deeper stuck into the soil with a pointed end in a vertical position. Then, having taken the stake out of the soil, a seedling was taken from a special basket, placed its roots in the hole made by the stake, and holding it with the left hand in the position that it should be in the hole, pressed the ground to the roots, sticking the stake into the soil for the second time the first hole in an inclined position and then leading to a vertical state. Planting by this method went very quickly, therefore, one worker, under standard conditions and some experience, could plant about 750-1200 seedlings per day, preparing pits for them himself. But if the roots of the trees were sprinkled in the pits with turfy ash, then this number was reduced to 450-500 pieces. In total, about 5 million trees were planted in the Butlar estates by his method. At the same time, working with the Butlar stake was rather tiring for the workers, and therefore at the end of the 19th century his stake was replaced with other tools.

As a scientist, Butlar spoke out in favor of artificial restoration of forests and was a supporter of the spread of mixed forests.

• Sobichevsky V.T.Butlar, Rudolph // Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary : 86 volumes (82 volumes and 4 additional). - SPb. , 1890-1907.

• Article in ADB (German) .