REPORT OF THE SELECT COMMITTEE ON FORESTRY, 107 



" Will you give some particulars in your own experience of the 

 Duke of Athole's estates as regards profit 1 " " The present Duke 

 has planted recently about 3000 acres, which are doing very well, 

 principally Scots fir. We found that the old plantations afibrded 

 much shelter to the arable land, and since the plantations have 

 grown up they are very valuable as wintering for sheep. Some of 

 our sheep farmers have to send their hoggs 100 miles away to 

 winter; whereas if there were more woods in the valleys they 

 would not require to send them away so far." 



" Can you give us any details of the average value per acre of 

 yearly falls and thinnings V " Not of yearly falls ; but I could 

 give you pretty accurately the value of a plantation of 366 Imperial 

 acres of larch planted in 1817, which I had occasion to value a few 

 years ago. The mode I adopted was to measure an acre here and 

 there, through the wood. In all there were 17 acres measured. 

 The number of trees per acre was 180 to 190, and the value would 

 be about £40, 5s. per acre. That was the average over the whole. 

 The acres on the lower part of the plantation were worth perhaps 

 nearly £100 ; and at the top of the hill, with 1000 feet of altitude, 

 the acre would not be worth more than £20 ; but over the whole 

 the value would be about £40 per acre." — •" What would be the 

 lowest elevation?" "About 300 feet to 400 feet."— " Do you 

 mean it is worth now, to cut down, £40 per acre?" "Yes." — 

 " That is standing 1 " " Yes ; for the wood merchant to cut it him- 

 self, and do everything; the proprietor would have that." — 

 " Clean cut V " Yes ; it is not yet at maturity. It will be more 

 valuable." — " That is the present value, assuming a clean cut 1 " 

 " Yes." — " But that is not the value at which you would put it if 

 you were going to take part of it away and leave part standing 1 " 

 " No."—" You could make more if you tried ? " " Yes."—" Sup- 

 posing the property were going to be sold, would the timber then 

 be valued at £40 per acre?" "I should think so."— " You still 

 assume that it would be cut dowai this year; do you consider that 

 there is an increase of value still in the timber, that it may be more 

 valuable at a future day 1 " " Yes. If the property were to be 

 sold I do not think the present purchaser ought to pay any more 

 than it was worth at the present time." — " Do you think you can 

 get anything more than the present value, without making a clean 

 cut, so that the remaining trees shall grow into greater value, so 

 that you can get more than £40 an acre?" "Yes ; I think if it 

 were managed until the best trees were at maturity it would bring 



