SOME LESSONS FROM THE RECENT GALES. I 73 



be done by cutting and selling every year, or at least every two 

 years, such a proportion of timber over and above the necessary 

 estate requirements as best suits the estate and the local 

 demand. 



In illustration of this I may refer to an estate where for the 

 last decade, at any rate, a steady supply of ripe timber has 

 been placed on the market, sometimes in different lots in one 

 year. Thus several firms of wood-merchants have become 

 familiar with the local facilities as to transit and the requisite 

 lodging of their men and horses, and they have learned to what 

 extent they can rely on the home staff for classifying and prepar- 

 ing the timber. 



The home staff, moreover, has been constantly exercised in 

 the best and most expeditious methods of preparing and grading 

 the different kinds of timber, and in disposing it in such a 

 manner as may best facilitate its removal. 



The value of this procedure has been strikingly revealed by 

 the recent gales, for no difficulty was experienced in obtaining 

 offers for the various lots. It is true that owing to the con- 

 gestion of the timber market a large portion of the blown trees ^ 

 fetched only half price ; on the other hand, some lots contained 

 ripe trees of good quality which, because they had "amenity" 

 value, never would have been cut. From an estate point of 

 view these trees provided a real " windfall," and there was a 

 strong demand for them, but it is certain that much of their 

 value would have been lost if the home staff had not been regularly 

 trained by an efficient head forester in the art of preparing 

 timber for ready handling, and thereby presenting it to the 

 ma.rket to the best advantage. 



But it need not be supposed that it is only on large estates 

 where an annual or biennial sale should be practised. I know 

 of a little estate in central Scotland, where not more than three 

 or four estate hands are employed, which for the past 38 years, 

 to the writer's knowledge, has provided a small supply of pro- 

 perly prepared timber for market at regular intervals. The gales 

 did not cause much trouble here, but such trees as were blown 

 down were promptly prepared and readily disposed of to a 

 merchant who, having purchased timber from this estate in the 

 previous year, knew its quality. 



^ In one wood alone there were 3000 45-year-old larches which would have 

 greatly increased in value had they stood for another fifteen years. 



