io8 FORESTRY 



Disposal and Sale of Forest Products 



In some parts of the country the practice is to sell whole 

 plantations as they stand, thus leaving the work of felling for 

 the purchaser to carry out. But this system is not common 

 for large timber as distinct from coppice. As a rule, the 

 crop is felled before being sold, though with species and sizes 

 for which there is only a limited outlet, offers may be taken 

 before felling operations are commenced, so that if there be 

 little or no demand the wood need not be sacrificed, but 

 can remain standing, or other means may be sought for its 

 disposal. 



Much of the success of a timber sale depends upon the 

 way in which the material has been brought together. This 

 having received every attention according to the requirements 

 of the market, the timber is advertised for sale. If sold by 

 public auction, it is disposed of to the highest bidder after a 

 system of increased bids the purchasers outbidding each 

 other. In some countries (France, Holland, Alsace- 

 Lorraine) the mode of bidding is contrary to that common 

 in Britain. There, what is called Dutch auction is preferred ; 

 the auctioneer, beginning at a very high figure, gradually 

 reduces the amount asked, and the first to make a bid becomes 

 the purchaser his being the highest offer. Sales may also 

 be by private tender, whereby the seller usually receives a 

 number of offers from which he makes a selection. A Jess 

 common system is to sell the timber at a fixed price on a 

 more or less permanent contract or according to a stipulated 

 rate. 



Minor forest produce may also be sold in all the ways just 

 mentioned. To grant a portion of such material in payment 

 for its collection and preparation is often an advantage to both 

 the forest owner and the workman. In the disposal of 

 timber the aim is, by means of competition amongst pur- 

 chasers, to get the highest price possible ; but with minor 

 produce other considerations may require attention, making it 

 difficult to extract the full financial value. For instance, the 



