512 BARK. 



bark is low, more profitable to sell the bark for tanning than as 

 fuel with the wood. 



Under the various factors which regulate the price of bark, its 

 quality, the demand for it, and the mode of sale, are the most 

 important. 



(a) Quality of Bark. — The conditions affecting the quality of 

 bark have been already discussed. As the revenue from bark- 

 coppice depends almost entirely on the price of bark, and the latter 

 chiefly on its quality, it is evidently necessary to subordinate the 

 culture of the wood to that of the bark. [In the Ardennes the 

 v.ood is as valuable as the bark, being used for mine-props. — Tr.] 



Whenever the proper rotation is exceeded, many standards 

 preserved, much admixture of other species tolerated, careful 

 cultivation neglected, thinnings omitted, and the bark negli- 

 gently dried, one need not wonder at lower prices for bark being 

 obtained than where it is carefully cultivated. 



(b) Demand for Bark. — Next to its quality, the demand for 

 bark is the most important factor in its price. Owing to 

 the constantly increasing demand for tanning material, one 

 might imagine that the demand for oak- bark is everj'Avhere 

 favourable ; experience in most bark districts is opposed to 

 this idea, and whilst the tanner is complaining of insufficient 

 production of tan, the forest owner complains of low prices. At 

 present the prices of tan are low everywhere. This is probably 

 due to the large import of tanning material and of leather. 



The production of tan in Germany is quite insufficient to 

 satisfy the home demands of the tanning trade, which has been 

 estimated at 7,000,000 cwt. of bark, for the production of which 

 3,750,000 acres of bark-coppice would be required ; for in spite 

 of the large imports of leather, chiefly from America, tanning 

 materials to the extent of 3^ million cwt. have been imported 

 recently, although the duties have been raised. France governs 

 the trade in tan over Switzerland and West and South Germany, 

 while Austria supplies the North. The desire of the German 

 tanner for an extension of bark-cojipice is therefore justiliablo, 

 although the forest owner cannot be induced to follow suit, owing 

 to the low prices. 



[The annual ])roduction of oak-bark in Britain may be estimated at 

 250,000 tons and about 16,000 tons are imported annually. This is 



