108 TRANSACTIONS OF ROYAL SCOTTISH ARBORICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



thirds of the area. The production is estimated at 3 cub. metres 

 per hectare per annum. 



Hungary, without Bosnia-Herzegovina, but including Croatia, 

 Slavonia and Transylvania, had 1,114,000 hectares of State 

 forests, of which 302,000 lie in Croatia and Slavonia. These 

 forests are mostly broad-leaved — for four-fifths of the area. 

 Among the conifers the commonest is the spruce. 



14. Timber as a Factor in the Price of Coal. 



Various exaggerated and erroneous statements have been 

 made from time to time during the last few years regarding the 

 extent to which the price of coal was affected by the increased 

 charges for pit-wood. 



It is difficult to give exact figures as to what the percentage 

 increase is, for the reason that circumstances vary so much in 

 every colliery that no uniform rate per ton can be accurate. 

 The quantity of pit-wood used is to a great extent dependent on 

 the thickness of the seam of coal, and even in the same pit where 

 seams of different thickness are being worked, the quantity of 

 pit-wood used per ton of coal produced may vary from year to 

 year. 



The article which appeared in the Tra?isaclicms of the Royal 

 Scottish Arboricultural Society for 191 7, page 70, gives useful 

 information on the subject. It is there stated that between 

 September 1914 and June 1916 the price of coal delivered rose 

 from 20s. to 30s. per ton, and that 5d. of this increase might be 

 attributable to the rise in the price of pit-wood. 



Considerable confusion seems to exist between the price of 

 pit-wood standing in the forest and the price delivered at the 

 colliery. It is obvious that with the greatly increased cost of 

 horse haulage and labour, all the operations connected with the 

 felling, transporting, and manufacture of pit-wood must have at 

 least doubled, and it does not follow, therefore, that greatly 

 increased cost at the colliery necessarily represents a greatly 

 increased price to the landowner for the growing timber. 



Another common source of error arises from quoting prices 

 per ton, seeing that the number of cubic feet per ton may vary 

 from 26 to 42, according to the date of felling and the amount 

 of seasoning. 



