10 



adjoining districts. One estate near a station would get im- 

 mensely better prices for the same class of timber than an estate 

 a few miles farther out. They had always the bugbear of extra- 

 ordinary traffic to face. Urban authorities were never slow to 

 impose and collect rates, but immediately they started to cart a 

 few extra trees, they dropped down on them for extraordinary 

 traffic. 



Mr Mackenzie said he was obliged to Mr Forbes for his 

 suggestion about measuring. The same thing had occurred to 

 himself, and he agreed that if they had the quarter-girth measure- 

 ments, the size of bark, and the like, they would not need to 

 classify qualities so much. 



The Chairman also thought Mr Forbes's suggestion about 

 measurements a usfeful one, and, on his suggestion, Mr Forbes 

 was added to the Committee, Mr Mackenzie remarking that they 

 did their work by correspondence, and distance was therefore no 

 obstacle. 



Dr Nisbet added some remarks on the subject of the collection 

 of prices of timber in Scotland. This was a most important 

 matter indeed. A few years ago the German Forestry Investiga- 

 tion Society was anxious to acquire all the knowledge possible 

 about forestry questions in Scotland. They communicated with 

 our Board of Agriculture, and some inquiries were set on foot. 

 A good deal of information of a botanical nature was collected, 

 but really nothing of the commercial aspect of the question — 

 prices and such like. There was really nothing of this kind 

 available. He was confident that well-ascertained data of this 

 class would be most helpful to forestry in this country, and hoped 

 that the Committee might be able to evolve something which 

 would be really useful and good. He, however, thought that in 

 sending out their forms they should stick to individual foresters 

 rather than local secretaries. They were likely to get more 

 information, and although it might mean a little extra work, they 

 would get better and more reliable results. The districts, of 

 course, would have to be properly mapped out, and the averaging 

 properly done. He would also encourage foresters to enter 

 freely in the " Remarks Column,'' which he would make as large 

 as possible. 



Mr Forbes said a difficulty about getting returns from 

 individual foresters, was that circumstances varied so much 

 that they might give erroneous information. A difference of 



