49G ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



to supply local needs. The cut was substantially the same as in 1911. 

 Large sales and even many small sales were prevented by the com- 

 petition of Pacific coast and eastern Oregon mills, which undersell 

 local operators. One result of the general dejH-ession in the l*acific 

 coast lumber industry which has characterized the past three years, 

 and which apparently reached its lowest level in 1912, has been the 

 supply of the markets of district 4 with imported lumber at prac- 

 tically cost prices. The large local market in Utah and southern 

 Idaho, however, has led to tentative applications for tracts in the 

 Boise and Payette forests, and the sale of at least 300,000,000 feet in 

 this region within the next year is anticipated. 



In district 5, covering California, the receipts from timber sales 

 increased. Actual sales fell off slightly, but a marked increase took 

 place in demand, particularly for remote bodies of sugar and yellow- 

 pine timber under long-term contracts. This is an accompaniment 

 of the general activity in the lumber industry of California due to 

 the anticipated completion of the Panama Canal and building pre- 

 paratory to the Panama Exposition. Under the large-sales policy, 

 contracts were entered into disposing of 90,000,000 feet on the Tahoe 

 and 183,000,000 feet on the Shasta. Negotiations are in progress 

 for a sale of 800,000,000 feet on the Sierra. In addition, sales are 

 under consideration on the Klamath, Sierra, California, Lassen, and 

 Tahoe forests aggregating over 2,000,000,000 feet. 



Sales in district 6 (Washington, Oregon, and Alaska) were mainly 

 in the yellow-pine belt in southern and eastern Oregon. Receipts 

 showed a substantial increase. Cutting began on two new sales on 

 the Whitman, one of 57,000,000, the other of 74,000,000 feet, and 

 negotiations in a third sale of 60,000,000 feet were practically com- 

 pleted. Other areas aggregating 100,000,000 feet are in demand on 

 this forest and will probably be placed under contract during the 

 next six months. A very active demand for western hemlock and 

 Sitka spruce for wharf and track piling developed on the Tongass 

 Forest in Alaska. The depression in the Douglas fir belt on the coast 

 still continues. During the latter half of the year, however, lumber 

 prices advanced, and this was reflected in renewed sale applications, 

 in some cases for large amounts. The policy regarding large sales 

 is particularly adapted to the conditions in the forests of the North- 

 west and played its part in the renewed interest in national forest 

 timber. 



In all but two of the national forest districts, therefore, conditions 

 improved during the year. The total cut rose from 374,678,000 feet 

 to 431,492,000 feet, and receipts from $842,992.89 to $942,819.21. 

 Sales fell slightly below those of 1911. The new policy covering 

 large sales was in effect long enough to complete only two sales. 

 The time required for the detailed examination of the large areas 

 applied for, for the careful consideration of all terms of the contracts, 

 and for the long advertisements necessary to promote competition 

 have made it impossible to consummate most of the larger sales, on 

 which an immense amount of work has been done during the year. 

 Consummation in 1913 of even a few of the large sales now under 

 consideration and already enumerated will bring a greatly increased 

 total for that year. AVhile it is not to be assumed that all these 

 applications will result in sales, they are, in the aggregate, a strong 

 indication of a materially improved market. There are more of them 



