21 8 FORESTRY INVESTIGATIONS U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



about 25 per cent, as the ideal and necessary for self-support, and therefore to be maintained also 

 in this country, they overlook the fact that Germany imports not less than *(><>,000,000 worth of 

 wood and wood manufactures, mostly of the same kind as grown or manufactured in that country. 

 This represents about 10 per cent of the total consumption of Germany, while the importations 

 of the United States, which imports from Canada only competing classes of forest products, 

 represent not more than 1 per cent of our probable consumption. 



The exports of forest products from Germany, on the other hand, are, to be sure, nearly 50 

 per cent of her imports, but they represent mostly manufactures, while in the United States the 

 reverse is the case; that is to say, the United States exports twice as much as it imports, and that 

 mostly raw material, namely, twice as much in value of raw material as of manufactures. 



The countries from which Germany imports raw or partly manufactured wood are mainly 

 Russia, Austria Hungary, and Sweden, which furnish nearly five-sixths of the total importation, 

 while Holland, England, Denmark, Belgium, France, and Switzerland draw about $14,000,000 

 worth of raw material from Germany. (See tables further on.) 



To protect the forest owners of Germany, a tariff on importations was imposed in 1885 and 

 increased later. Of the effects of this last measure a government report says that as a financial 

 measure these tariffs have had excellent success, for the revenue from these duties increased from 

 $(546,000 in 1880 to $1,732,000 in 188G. But for the forest owner the hoped for results did not 

 become apparent; the Austro-Hungarian railroads and shipping interests lowered their rates so as 

 to largely equalize the duty charges. The duties on unmanufactured materials being very low, the 

 lack of results in the market of these is still more noticeable. Yet a salutary effect is stated to 

 be, a prevention of still lower prices, and because otherwise there would have been a lack of useful 

 occupation for labor finding remunerative employment in the manufacture of the raw material, 

 which, without the increase in duties, would have been imported in manufactured condition. 



PRICE OF MANUFACTURED LUMBER. 



The following samples of schedules for manufactured lumber, always delivered at the railroad 

 station, may serve to give an idea to our lumbermen how nearly prices compare with those 

 prevalent in our country. We choose those of eastern provinces, which are in sharpest competition 

 with Kussian and Hungarian imports: 



Province of Poaen. 



Timber (7-8.5 inch square) : 



Pine per cubic foot.. $0. 20 to $0. 22 



Spruce do -16 



I'ine (Scotch): 



Plank (2-4 inch), 3 classes per 1,000 feet B. M.. 27.00 38.00 



Plank (U-lJinch), 3 classes do.... 26.00 31.0(1 



Flooring (1-inch), 3 classes do.... 17.00 22.00 



Flooring ( 14-inch), 3 classes do.... 20.00 26.00 



Spruce, rough boards, not edged (4-5 inch) do 12. 00 



Spruce (H-inch), edged, 12-18 feet do 20.00 22.00 



Delivered at Berlin. 



Oak (clear), 82 cents per cubic foot, or $68 per 1,000 feet 15. M. 



Elm, 78 cents per cubic foot. 



Railroad ties pine, 45 cents ; oak, 90-95 cents. 



It will be seen that prices for some grades are as high as and higher than in New York. The 

 manager is expected to secure at least the government rate, and has discretion in conducting the 

 sales to the best advantage of the government. Under certain circumstances sales by contract 

 without auctioneering, and, lately, selling on the stump, are permitted. 



The transportation from the woods, as stated before, is usually left to the buyer; rarely does 

 the administration float the timber or cord wood out, or carry it to a depot or wood yard to be sold 

 from there, or engage in milling or other operations. On the other hand, it has been recognized 

 during the last twenty-five years that good roads and other ready means of transportation increase 

 the price of the wood disproportionately. A good road system is, therefore, considered the most 

 necessary equipment of the administration, and an extension of permanent and movable logging 

 railroads is one of the directions of modern improvement. The interesting, important, and 

 practical features to us in the logging railroads are their movable character, being divided into 



