AS A HOP-POLE CROP. 155 



will equally benefit a crop of timber that requires 

 fifty or sixty years to attain maturity. 



1^0. I was a larch plantation in the county of Sus- 

 sex, grown entirely as a crop for hop-poles, which 

 was sold by public auction in the month of November 

 1855, after having completed its fourteenth growth. 

 The plantation comprehended about eleven acres, and 

 was divided into five lots, which were sold at prices 

 varying from £60 to £yo per acre. Allowing £6$ 

 as the average price per acre, the following are the 

 returns, after cutting and conveying to market when 

 partially dried : — 



1400 lo-feet length hop-poles, at 20s. per lOO 

 1500 i2-feet length hop-poles, at 25s. per 100 

 1000 14-feet length hop-poles, at 28s. per 100 

 2500 i6-feet length hop-poles, at 32s. per 100 

 1600 i8-feet length hop-poles, at 40s. per 100 



Purchase money per acre £6^ o o 



Cutting and clearing the wood . . . . 1000 



Carriage to market 20 o o 



Merchant's profit 23 15 o 



;^II8 15 o 



Against the above sum there is a charge of ^21, 3s. 

 for plants, planting, keeping down weeds, and interest, 

 thus leaving a profit of £43, 17s., which, divided by 14, 

 the number of years' growth, gives ;^3, 2s. yiA. to the 

 proprietor ; and similar ground (including this) before 

 planting was let at not more than 25 s. per acre, — there- 

 fore there is a clear balance in favour of planting of ;^ i , 

 17 s. 7|d. per acre during the time it was under crop. 



