664 Forestry Quarterly. 



remainder multiplied by the length. Thus if the wood is 3' in 

 circumference in the middle, deduct 15" and the remainder will 

 be 15" (there are ten Chinese inches to the foot). If the length 

 is 40', multiplying 40 x 15 makes 600. They call this 6 fangs, 

 and it is worth at present i tael 2 mace of money per fang; so in 

 this case the piece of wood quoted would be worth 7.2 taels of 

 money ($4.18 gold). 



From the above it can be seen how complicated is the system 

 of measurements. The Chinese Import and Export Lumber 

 Company, which buys large quantities of these poles, has given 

 me the following figures for the ordinary native poles : 



Length. Top Measure. Price (gold.) 



F. O. B. at Hankow, 23' 4" $0.78 



5" I.OI 



6" 1.40 



30' 4" 129 



5" 1.90 



6" 2.63 



40' 4" 3-86 



5" 4.59 



6" 532 



With freight and insurance, they cost at Shanghai each about 

 22 cents gold more. 



These poles are mainly pine and cedar ; pine used for interior 

 work, and cedar for posts, telegraph poles, etc., etc. 



In the south — Canton , etc. — the guilds are even stronger. 

 Prices quoted there for ordinary "China Fir" poles, according to 

 information given me by Kwong Fong Yuen, a very large dealer, 

 average as follows : 14' long and 4" top, average cost about 40 

 cents gold. For one about 20' long and 4" top, about $1.12 gold. 



There is also some forest furnishing raft timber in the hills of 

 Fukien Province at the headwaters of the short mountain streams 

 which run down to the coast. These Foo-chow poles, as they are 

 called — from the name of the principal seaport of that province — 

 generally come in much shorter lengths than the others and are 

 also of smaller diameters ; they are mainly pine, fir, etc., and sell 

 for a lower price than the Hankow poles, their principal market 

 being in the coast provinces from Swatow to Shanghai. 



Prices are. . . . 4^" diameter, 16' long $0.61 gold 



5^" diameter, 16' long i.oo 



These two comprise the great bulk of the timbers. 



6|" diameter, 16' long 1.28 



8^" diameter, 16' long 2.44 



