230 TRANSACTIONS OF ROYAL SCOTTISH ARBORICULTURAL SOCIETY, 



often contribute to cause disorganisation ; so unprofitable 

 on many estates has forestry proved in recent years that 

 woods are often regarded as an expensive plaything and are 

 maintained for ornamental and sporting purposes, the marketing 

 of the forest products being a secondary consideration. By far 

 the larger part of the timber is sold in the round to merchants, 

 usually by private bargain. In too many cases no proper 

 valuation is made, and even a proper measurement of the 

 standing crop is sometimes omitted ; there are cases where even 

 the precaution of counting the trees is not adopted by the seller. 

 This method of purchase would appear to be very favourable 

 to the buyer, who can make some sort of profit without much 

 trouble ; and has helped to lower artificially the price of home 

 timber, a process which is almost as injurious to the middleman 

 as to the producer. Only a small amount is converted at 

 saw-mills by the owners, and what is so converted is mainly for 

 estate use. Very little is sold and no attempt is made to create 

 a regular local market. Very few estate saw-mills are run on 

 business lines, and in most cases no account is kept of the 

 quantities and kinds of timber handled, nor is there any annual 

 valuation of stock. Such a system is inefficient and unprofitable. 

 It may safely be said that in most estate saw-mills a proper 

 annual balance sheet could not be produced, and if it could it 

 would show a considerable deficit. 



To sum up — the exceedingly low prices current for home 

 timber, standing or sawn, are mainly accounted for by — 



1. A certain inferiority in some but not in all timbers, due to 



lack of proper silvicultural management. 



2. The entire want of organisation which has hitherto 



existed among producers. 



3. The lack of business methods and system in selling. 



4. The mixed nature of many lots for sale, embracing some 



good and some bad trees ; some species which the 

 merchant wants, and other species which he does not 

 want, but is nevertheless forced to take. 



5. The irregularity and uncertainty of supplies. 



6. The placing on the market of small lots which no timber 



merchant can handle economically. 



7. The want of incentive to merchants who can buy the raw 



material cheap, to dispose of the timber at the highest 

 market price procurable. Higher prices for standing 



