Let's Not Overlook the Woodlots. 59 



Throughout the woods there were a fair sprinkling of spruce preserved 

 apparently for the sake of the game. In nearly all of the woods oak had 

 unfortunately been planted as the main crop. A much larger proportion 

 of ash would have given better results. * * * 



"* * * Underwood was grown to a certain extent. That is to say, 

 where any existed it was encouraged as far as possible and made the best 

 of. There was, and is, a limited demand ; but nothing was attempted in the 

 district in the way of coppice growing.* * * 



"When I began my duties I found a fair crop on most of the land. Some 

 of the older ash woods, however, had been somewhat severely thinned with 

 little or no underwood or younger trees to succeed the older ones ; the best 

 of the trees had been taken out and those left seemed rather at a stand- 

 still. * * * 



"The custom previously adopted had been to sell the timber standing, 

 getting in a qualified valuer for the occasion. The valuer in such cases is 

 paid a percentage on the amount the timber is sold for. Where he also 

 marks the trees to be taken down he naturally marks such as will bring 

 the best price in his own and his employer's present interest. The future 

 interest of the woods is a secondary consideration, and probably for that 

 reason the trees left in all the woods were with few exceptions only of 

 mediocre size and quality. So much was this so that I was told by the 

 old experienced woodman on the estate that 'the spice had all been taken 

 out of the pudding', and that I would not get much to sell. However, 

 from that year to this, I have had an annual sale of timber, sometimes 

 more and sometimes less, and we are not quite played out yet. * * * 



"One of my first duties on coming to Owston Park was to value a lot 

 of timber which had been marked by the owner and sell it standing to a 

 local merchant who had been in the habit of buying anything there was for 

 sale in the neighborhood. I made a satisfactory sale ***.*** 



"The price realized was $1,575. The terms were 10 per cent, of the 

 purchase money at the time of sale and the remainder on the 31st Decem- 

 ber following. The purchaser paid for all labor. 



"The terms were customary on the estate, and I adopted them, in this 

 case, although I did not approve of them. 



"Neither did I approve of selling the timber standing, and on this estate 

 I have not sold any standing since. It is a very common practice, but in 

 the interests of the owners of woods it ought not to be so common. I 

 know there is much to be said in its favor, and it is a difficult matter to 

 change the customs, even when advisable, of any particular district. * * 



"* * * We have now given particulars of sales of timber and other 

 produce for the first ten years of our management, and for the purposes 

 of comparison here give the total number of feet sold in that period, with 

 the total amount realized. The number of feet is 88,734, an average per 

 year of 8,873, or about 25^ feet per acre per annum. The price realized 

 was $25,325 an average per year of $2,530 or an average per acre per 

 annum of $7. 



"Our entrA^ on the second decade finds us with a trade outlook very 

 different from that experienced ten 3'ears previously. Every branch of 

 trade was depressed, and in agriculture we had one of the worst years 

 ever experienced. * * * 



"In the winter following we thinned out 41 acres of woods, 2 acres 

 being about 70 years old and 19 about 50 years, the quantity felled being 

 5,438 feet. 'This year's experience was one of my worst in selling timber. 

 i again had recourse to the auction sale, which had served us so well up 

 to now. * * * 



"The large buyers were represented by only two merchants, and it 

 would not have been human nature if they had not made a compact in 

 their own interest. * * * This brought forcibly home to me what I 

 had previously been aware of in a general way in regard to these auction 



