234 tkansactions of royal scottish arboricultural society. 

 2. Report of Secretary. 



The work of the Society during 191 3 has been continued on 

 the same lines as in the previous year, but in many respects the 

 conditions have improved. This has been especially marked in 

 the case of sales of standing timber. In 191 2 it was very 

 difficult to find markets, but in 191 3 the glut of blown timber 

 had begun to work off, while trade prosperity combined with 

 increased freights on foreign supplies gave an impetus to prices 

 for manufactured timber, and this was reflected in the demand 

 for standing trees. 



The Society has continued the system, referred to in last year's 

 report, of making a careful preliminary valuation before offering 

 members' timber for sale. The former practice of selling on the 

 strength of a rough estimate of value has been completely 

 discarded. I would emphasise the importance of this preliminary 

 valuation, for not only does it enable the proprietor to judge as 

 to the offers received, but it has the still more important effect 

 of improving those offers. As a rule, timber merchants have 

 not time to make an exhaustive valuation, and in offering 

 for standing timber they have to allow a margin for possible 

 error, especially as the numbers and sizes of the trees are never 

 guaranteed by the proprietor. If, however, they know that 

 every tree has been separately counted and classified according 

 to a recognised system, they can afford to reduce this margin for 

 error and increase their offer accordingly ; indeed, in many cases 

 they will adopt the Society's valuation as a basis for their offer 

 even though no guarantee is given. It is gratifying to report 

 that timber merchants have accepted without question the 

 Society's bona fides in the matter of valuations, and no question 

 has ever arisen with regard to the accuracy either of the count 

 or the classification. In this way the Society has been of 

 assistance to the buyer as well as to the seller, thus securing the 

 benefits of co-operation in its best form. But in thus obtaining 

 the confidence of timber merchants the Society has assumed a 

 responsibility to the timber merchants themselves, and it is 

 necessary that this confidence should not be shaken. The 

 Society must see that buyers as well as sellers receive fair 

 treatment, and in particular that all offers are treated as 

 confidential ; they must spare no pains to make the particulars 

 as accurate as possible ; they must be prepared if necessary to 



