THE FOREST AS A RESOURCE. 



39 



take mostly only the annual accumulations, striv- 

 ing to keep their stock, or wood capital, intact and 

 in good reproductive condition. The annual cut 

 amounts to 1,870,000,000 cubic feet of all sorts 

 and sizes, or 53 cubic feet per acre, of which, how- 

 ever, only 27 per cent, or round 500,000,000 cubic 

 feet, is of size fit for manufactures. These amounts 

 are, however, not sufficient for the needs of the popu- 

 lation ; and hence, although some 48,000,000 cubic 

 feet of wood and woodenware, worth $26,700,000, 

 are exported, over 305,000,000 cubic feet of wood 

 and wood articles, worth $53,500,000, are imported ; 

 so that nearly 10 per cent of the total consumption 

 comes from outside, not counting auch wood that 

 forms part of manufactures imported, like pianos, 

 wagons, etc. 



We have tljen here a consumption of 43 cubic 

 feet per capita, of which 15 cubic feet is sizable 

 material, and the value would figure to little less 

 than $3 per capita, or say $ 1 50,000,000 is the wood 

 bill of these economical people annually, as against 

 7 times that amount, which we spend. If you ask 

 as to relative cost or price of these wood materials, 

 one interesting fact stands out, namely, that while 

 the value of their imports is $141 per ton, the value 

 of their exports is $255 per ton; in other words, 

 Germany is careful to export more manufactured 

 and high-priced material than she imports ; thus, 

 the exported lumber and wood brings her 32 cents 

 per cubic foot, while she pays only 23 cents for the 



