TIMBER VALUATION 131 



7000, the Douglas fir is mixed with western hemlock and several 

 q>ecies of balsam. All the tree subtypes referred to above occur 

 in the western slope of the Cascade Range. , Its eastern side being 

 sheltered from the moist Pacific winds has much less precipitation. 

 As a consequence the stands are more open and the Douglas fir 

 shares preeminence with wesitem larch, a species which makes 

 only moderate demands upon soil moisture. A comparative 

 stand table for these different subtypes under virgin conditions 

 is given below: 



M 



Fir-cedar 60 



Pure fir 100 



Fir-hemlock 75 



Fir-larch 50 



Accurate growth data for aU the sf>ecies found in the type are 

 not available, but good figures do exist for Douglas fir and it 

 seemed wise to make estimates for the other species in order to 

 g^ at least a relative notion of thdr growth. 



Timber Valuation. — The following quotation from Comp- 

 ton's " Organization of the Timber Industry " sets forth the early 

 conditions in regard to stvmapage prices of Douglas fir. 



" During the eighties the prevailing price of stiunpage in 

 Washington was not over 15 cents per M feet. Between 1898 

 and 1968 prices trebled. A stand of dght million feet (estimated) 

 was bought in 1891 for $800 or for 10 cents per M feet. In 1909 

 the same tract was sold for $18,500 or for $2.31 per M feet. As 

 late as 1903 a stand of 472 million feet (estimated) was purchased 



