RESULTS OF OUR FOREST POLICY 325 



tract of similar stand, because it is proportionally much easier to pro- 

 tect from fire and from trespass, and cheaper to log, since it permits 

 the erection of better equipment. This is one reason why there is a 

 constant tendency for large holding to absorb the small; the small 

 plot is worth much more as part of a large tract than it is alone in 

 the hands of a small holder. Thus, even if the large holding were only 

 of the same quality as the smaller holding, its value would be much 

 greater. 



The holder of a large tract is often in a position of much independ- 

 ence. If he has a timber holding of such size and such situation that 

 the erection of a large mill to cut it is economically justified, he can 

 build a mill himself, or he can deal on equal terms with buyers. The 

 small owner is in an entirely different situation. His holding does not 

 justify the building of a mill. If he gets anything for his timber he 

 must sell it. It is likely that not more than one large mill will be in a 

 position to cut and haul his timber economically; and if this is so he 

 can expect little competition among purchasers. Even if there are 

 several large holders surrounding him, they are very likely to have 

 an understanding on the situation, often in the form of buying 

 "zones." 



The small timber owner is often practically limited, therefore, to 

 the choice between keeping his timber or selling it at such a price as 

 some large buyer in the neighborhood may think it wise to pay. This 

 is so well recognized that large owners commonly reckon, not only the 

 timber which they own, but also that which they "control"; that is, 

 timber which is so interspersed with their holdings that no one else 

 can well handle it. In this way, some of the large owners of railway 

 grants really "control" solid tracts, alternate sections and all; and 

 in Louisiana, for instance, in the region of the old New Orleans Pacific 

 grant, where the lands were originally granted in odd numbered sec- 

 tions, little of the checkerboard effect of the alternate squares can now 

 be seen on the ownership map, because the purchasers of railroad 

 lands have filled in with even numbered sections which they "con- 

 trolled." 



LARGE HOLDERS HAVE THE MOST VALUABLE LANDS 



It was found everywhere, moreover, that the large holders had the 

 most valuable lands — the heaviest stands, and the most valuable 



