72 



THE POEEST KESOUKCES OF THE WORLD. 



Thus the home consumption of the United States is larger than 

 that of any other country in the world. While the exports amount to 

 2,600,000,000 feet b. m., the imports in 1907 were 1,700,000,000 feet 

 b. m., or an excess of exports over imports of only 900,000,000 feet 

 b. m., or 150,000,000 cubic feet, a practically insignificant amount. 

 Therefore, the annual cut of 23,000,000,000 cubic feet may be taken 

 as the home consumption of the United States. 



WOOD PRICES. 



There is a certain relationship between the wood prices of a country 

 and the care which the forests receive. In countries with large for- 

 ests and sparse population, wood prices are low and there is very 

 little forest protection. In the following table are given wood prices 

 on the stump for some leading European countries and for the 

 United States: 



TABLE 26. Wood prices on the stump in various countries. 



These figures simply give an idea of the relative value of wood in 

 various countries. A comparison of wood prices is extremely diffi- 

 cult, because prices do not always include the same items. In some 

 countries the prices include transportation to points of shipment; in 

 others they refer to partly finished products, etc. The few figures 

 given in the above table all refer to the price on the stump. The 

 stumpage prices for the United States are taken from Bulletin 77, 

 page 40, Forest Service, and 167 cubic feet are assumed to equal 1,000 

 board feet. The prices in the United States are mainly those in the 

 East, and are probably higher than if western species were chosen. 

 As it is, oak timber, probably much poorer in quality than the white 

 oak in this country, brings in Prussia over three times as much on the 

 stump, and in Wurttemberg over six times as much as here. The 

 same holds true for other species, except white pine, which in New 

 Hampshire and the Northeast is at present bringing prices approach- 

 ing those obtained for Scotch pine in Prussia and Hungary. In 



