PRODUCTION OF YOUNCt OAK-BARK. 503 



Hirschhorn, a sale-condition is enforced on the purchaser of the 

 lots of coppice, that he should sell the bark at a fixed price per 

 cwt. to the tanners. 



Similarly, some sales are conducted which provide that the 

 forest owner shall have the converted wood and the purchaser 

 the bark, after the latter has converted both the bark and the 

 w^ood at his own cost. This is one of the most usual modes of 

 sale and is very convenient, though not always most profitable 

 for the forest owner : for, although the felling and conversion 

 is effected under the supervision of the forest staff, and the 

 purchaser's workmen must submit to sylvicultural rules, yet 

 they study the interest of the purchaser rather than that of 

 the owner. Good supervision may, however, remedy matters 

 in this respect. 



(b) Sale by Unit of Produce. — In this mode of sale also, the 

 price of the bark is arranged before it is harvested, but the 

 felling and peeling is undertaken and paid-for by the forest owner. 

 This mode of sale is far preferable to those described under (a), 

 and is generally the best to adopt ; the workmen are then engaged 

 by the forest owner and will see to his interests, and the con- 

 version of the wood will be more profitably arranged as fire- 

 wood, or timber for agricultural purposes, according to the 

 requirements of the case. There is here nothing to interfere 

 with the best possible harvesting of the bark, and the main- 

 tenance of its quality ; for if the workmen are paid by piecework, 

 according to the weight and quality of the bark, their interest in 

 the matter will be thoroughly enlisted. 



This mode of sale has recently been adopted in several places 

 in Baden, Wiirtemberg and the Palatinate and in parts of 

 Prussia. 



(c) Sale of Converted Material. — Another possible mode of 

 sale is when the forest owner converts both wood and bark at his 

 own expense and sells the produce afterwards. This method 

 is seldom adopted and is mentioned here only in order to show 

 how necessary it is to arrange for a purchaser of the bark before 

 the felling. If, however, forest owners were to provide large 

 sheds for drying and keeping the bark, the trade would greatly 

 benefit, and this would lead to the whole bark harvest being 

 conducted by the forest owners. 



