UTILISATION OF EXISTINC. WOODLAND PRODUCE. 71 



delivered f.o.b. at the Loch Oich private pier at 13s. per 

 ton, the forester and his woodmen doing the felHng and 

 snedding, and the local crofters being employed to drag and 

 cart the wood at an average cost of about is, per ton per mile. 



Messrs J. & P, Coats have kindly informed me that the 

 value of the present rough class of Highland birch as bobbin- 

 wood would certainly not exceed 19s. per ton, delivered at 

 their works in Paisley: but they have also added that "it is 

 impossible to say what quantity of wood could be used, as 

 from recent tests made, the spools from home birch are inferior 

 in colour, are much heavier, and show unsatisfactory results 

 after dyeing.' These drawbacks can, however, be to a great 

 extent overcome by growing the birch closely in future. 



There is also a limited market for birch firewood in Inverness, 

 where sawn blocks sell at from 13s. to 15s. a ton, of which from 

 9s. to IIS. is the cost of felling, sawing, carting to sawmill and 

 railway station, railway freight, and delivery in Inverness, 

 leaving only about 4s. a ton as the net income from the wood. 



Thus, for each acre of the very thin existing mature birch- 

 woods, for which any market has been found, local employment 

 is given to the extent of at least 7s. 6d. for brooms, and 44s. for 

 felling, snedding and carting, or 51s. 6d. per acre, exclusive of 

 all the further cost of transport by railway or steamer. {See also 

 III. below.) 



II. The Oak-woods, stub-grown from old coppices, inter- 

 spersed with ash, alder and birch, and aggregating over 3300 

 acres, produce a very hard, heavy and tough class of wood, 

 though usually of small dimensions. At present there is little or 

 no demand for the produce of these woodlands, and measurements 

 have not been made of the tonnage available per acre on the 

 average. Some of the smaller stuff is sold as firewood in 

 Inverness at 8s. 6d. per cart load of about 18 cwts., and it is 

 also suitable for pitwood. The 1700 acres on Achnacarry 

 estate " range from about 30 years old upwards. Very few of 

 the trees are as yet of a profitable size, but all have fine long 

 clean stems, and promise to become valuable. The timber is 

 of excellent quality with very little sapwood." Wood of this 

 description seems particularly suitable for making into arms 

 for telegraph and telephone posts, if the Postmaster-General 

 can be persuaded to give a trial order for some (in place of the 

 foreign timber now imported for this purpose). 



