96 PRACTICAL FORESTRY. 



auction, and that is, to dress out each tree to the full 

 length. It is a mistake to saw into lengths, as, by 

 so doing, the object of the purchaser may be defeated. 



Private Sale is nothing more nor less than private 

 bargain. A certain amount of timber is for sale and 

 the fact soon becomes known, and those desirous of 

 buying make their desire known to the agent or 

 forester ; or the agent or forester will seek for a 

 purchaser whom he thinks will require the class of 

 timber he has for sale. The first step will be to 

 mark the timber in the wood or woods where it is 

 standing or lying in the way already described, except 

 that it will not be necessary to lot it. The next will 

 be to measure and value it ; and in this case a more 

 careful survey must be made, as there is not likely to 

 be competition to secure the highest possible figure. 



Here then the knowledge and skill of the agent or 

 forester comes into play, for without it he is likely 

 to make a sorry bargain. It is impossible to lay 

 down rules or to attempt in any way to regulate 

 private sales, because they are always, as the name 

 implies, open to private arrangements ; and private 

 arrangements are necessarily full of vagaries. They 

 are open, too, to bye-arrangements between the buyer 

 and the medium, not always advantageous to the 

 owner. Nevertheless, many private sales are good 

 and sound, especially when the parties engaged are 

 skilful, and their acts bond fide. The remarks on 

 private sales apply equally to felled and standing 

 timber, only if the latter plan is adopted greater care 

 must be taken in arriving at the quantity and value. 

 As a rule, we believe the measurement of standing 



