99 



The forest estate of the grand dukedom of Mecklenburg Schwerin 

 contains 268,784 acres. The statement of its operations for the finan- 

 cial year of 1894-5 was as follows: 



Total income, 11,075,119 00 



Total cost of maintenance and adminis- 

 tration, 314,893 00 



Total net profit, f 760,226 00 



Total net annual profit per acre, . . 3 10 



In the royal Saxon state forests there are 421,164 acres. The year 

 1894 shows the following statement : 



Total income, f 2,360,489 00 



Total cost of maintenance and adminis- 

 tration, 856,132 00 



Total net profit, f 1,504,357 00 



Total net annual profit per acre, . 3 57 



In so far as these statistics bear upon our forests and their possible 

 production, the natural answer to them would be, that under existing 

 conditions we can hope for no such returns. This is entirely true if 

 we consider immediate returns only. But the reply would require 

 very considerable modification if we consider future possibilities. 

 The facts are that we are nearer a shortage of timber at this moment 

 than we suppose and that it will require years before we have changed 

 our extravagant habits in the use of lumber. Low prices now prevail- 

 ing are due to two causes i. e., cheap "cut-rate," transportation on 

 the one hand, and the glut of hemlock caused by cutting these trees to 

 obtain bark on the other. 



This condition cannot endure, and when the change comes, as come 

 it will, we may expect much higher prices to rule the lumber market. 

 Tin 'ii, too, no one can predict the size of the possible demand for pulp 

 wood. Its increase in the last few years has been fabulous. It is an 

 open secret that the pulp manufacturers are at this moment concerned 

 over the source of their future supply. 



A PLAIN STATEMENT OF AN IMPORTANT PROBLEM. 



The following item comes from the Pittsburg Post, of October 15, 

 1897: 



"Extreme quietness still prevails along the wharves. Up-river 

 packets are enjoying a fair trade, but there is little or nothing done 



