16 PRELIMINARY EXAMINATION OF THE 



each tree. A third offer may be made by a sawmill owner, 

 who will perhaps cut all species except gum, and will cut 

 trees down to a diameter of 14 inches. He offers to pur- 

 chase on the basis of an estimate, at the rate of 1 2 per 

 1,000 board feet for oak and ash and $1 for other species. 

 If the owner of the timber is not an experienced estimator 

 and woodsman, he is often at a loss to determine which 

 offer promises the largest returns. 



When it is possible to sell the choice trees or the choice, 

 lower cuts of the trees at a high price, the owner should 

 endeavor also to sell the large tops, in order that a profit 

 may be made, if possible, on material which would other- 

 wise be wasted. Often an owner may most advantage- 

 ousl}^ do his own logging and dispose of the products. 

 The choice, large white oak logs may be hauled to the rail- 

 road and sold for from $20 to S25 a thousand board feet, 

 and the tops of these trees may be worked up into stave 

 and heading bolts or into cross-ties. If a hardwood mill 

 is nearby the remaining merchantable timber may be 

 disposed of for lumber. An owner may cut timber from 

 the same tract annually and realize considerable returns 

 each year. At each cutting he should take out as many 

 as practicable of the injured, diseased and overmature 

 trees. By so doing he will steadily improve the condition 

 of his forest and keep it productive. 



Oftentimes timber owners have failed to realize fuU 

 value from their timber through selling only one particular 

 grade of material, the removal of which caused a decrease 

 in the value of the remaining timber. For instance, one 

 owner on the Tombigbee River was oft'ered $1,600 for the 

 oak on 300 acres by a heading company, while a veneer 

 company offered him Sio per thousand board feet for the 

 white oak logs suitable for veneeer use. He accepted the 

 latter oft'er. So few of the logs met the requirements of 

 the veneer company, and so great was the waste, that 

 only 60,000 board feet were obtained, or S600 worth of 

 timber. The remaining timber cannot be sold for some 

 time, because its . value has been so decreased by the 

 removal of the best trees that it will not pay other tinjber 



