FORESTS ON THE DNIEPER. 167 



Under favourable circumstances they manage to make six 

 turns (a turn is considered the sale of the wood.) 



' Favourable circumstances consist in fine weather and 

 the quick purchase of forest materials in the forest belt, 

 and in the quick sale of these in the parts requiring wood. 



' With regard to the fine weather they are guided by the 

 traditions of the elders, and as the medium length of each 

 half way is about a week, therefore for such a short time 

 the predictions of the local meterologists are generally not 

 far wrong. 



' For expediting the purchase of forest materials in the 

 forest belt they apply to the some dealers, or joining 

 together, buy a part of a wood, divide it among themselves, 

 tree by tree, and then each fells his own and carts it away 

 with his own horses. As guard and manager on the spot 

 there remains generally the most respectable member of 

 this company, and he receives for his trouble a remunera- 

 tion in forest materials ; remunerations in money are con- 

 sidered insulting. The principal condition for the success 

 of this trade are rapid sales in places requiring wood. 

 For this object they find purchasers beforehand, and make 

 an agreement as to what materials, and for what price, they 

 are to bring. Frequently the materials are brought to 

 market, and if there be no buyer at a remunerative price 

 (which sometimes happens when there is great supply), 

 they have to feed their horses several days in the expec- 

 tation of a buyer. But this is unprofitable, because 

 buyers appear generally only on market days, of which 

 there is only one or two a week, and consequently the 

 provender of horses would cause great expense ; and they 

 sell their trees to a richer dealer who can wait for a 

 purchaser. Such a sale does not bring the same profit 

 as the sale to a consumer would. With such a supply 

 trade the supply may not be proportionate to the demand, 

 and in such cases the prices fall to the last extreme. In 

 such cases one may see the very same kind of materials 

 sold by different dealers on the same market days asking 

 prices varying from 1 to 2 or 1 to 3. This proceeds from 



