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this margin has increased, on the average, at a more rapid rale than 

 the prices for finished products. As products become scarcer, the factor 

 of competition becomes more active, and the producer stands a better 

 chance of receiving his fair share of the final market value. This proc- 

 ess raises the value of wood crops on all areas regardless of their loca- 

 tion. It makes possible a profit or stumpage value on hitherto inacces- 

 sible tracts, but the chief advantage is to the owner of woodland located 

 near markets, and whose costs of marketing are comparatively low. 



If this is the situation with timber as a crop grown for sale, the 

 value of such crops grown for home consumption is still further en- 

 hanced. Every farmer is a large consumer of wood crops, as will be 

 shown later. With no home product he is forced to buy wood at the 

 highest retail price, paying all the costs and profits exacted in the course 

 of transportation for long distances, and rehandling by dealers. To the 

 extent that he can supply his own needs, the only costs to him are those 

 of labor and contract-sawing, and those incident to growing the crop. 

 It is the purpose of this investigation to determine the value of such 

 wood crops to the farmer as a consumer, as well as a producer for the 

 market. 



In the selection of the species of trees to grow, the woodland owner 

 is largely influenced by the condition already established by natural 

 processes on his woodland. Trees show fully as great an adaptation 

 to environment as any other plant association, and from the first settle- 

 ment of this country the character of the forest growth has been relied 

 upon to indicate that of the soil itself. In practically all the eastern 

 states, the dearth of tree-vegetation indicated impoverished soil. Until 

 the nature of prairie soil became known, early settlers avoided it for 

 this reason. It is a safe maxim that unless proved otherwise by ex- 

 perience, the best trees to grow on a given site are the species which 

 naturally grew there in the virgin forests, and (hat trees, such as catalpa, 

 found in nature only on rich well-drained soils, will not produce satis- 

 factory forest crops if introduced on a poorer or drier site. 



Again, trees inured to unfavorable conditions, like the pines, may 

 grow very rapidly on better soils, but will fail to reproduce naturally in 

 competition with the species found on such habitats. 



Wood crops, as to species of trees grown and quality produced, are, 

 therefore, less adjustable or less easily modified than food crops. Once 

 the choice is made it must be followed through to maturity. Often this 

 choice is already determined, as in well-established forests. Aside from 



