168 FORESTRY IN LITHUANIA, 



the fact that one has been in the market a long time and 

 not sold his goods, and lowered the price ; while another 

 has only just come, and is not convinced of the excess of 

 supply, and therefore keeps to the normal prices ; but 

 several days will pass, and he will lower his prices more 

 than his neighbours. 



' The want of capital for buying forest materials in such 

 cases has created something like commission yards. For 

 a certain allowance of part of the materials, or of the 

 realised sum for their sale, they put up the unsold 

 materials with an acquaintance ; he is empowered to 

 sell them ; and they call for the proceeds at their leisure. 

 Many capitalists, wood dealers, have commenced by such 

 corn mission ship in the wood trade in the governments of 

 Orel and Kursk. 



' With regard to the importance of the crown forests of 

 Kursk government in the wood trade we remark that 

 the situation of these forests is very favourable as regards 

 sales 1st, Because crown forests are in better condition 

 than private forests, although I must add that many of 

 the latter are very satisfactorily preserved ; 2d, because 

 the crown forests form almost half the forests of the 

 Kursk government ; and 3d, because the greatest part of 

 the crown forests are in districts that have less forests, 

 and are more distant from the woods of the Dwina river 

 belt governments of Tchernigov and Orel. We therefore 

 suppose that cases of unsuccessful sales of wood cannot be 

 explained by the competition of private forests, as many 

 allege, but that rather the contrary takes place, because 

 sales to peasants at a reduced price or one much lower 

 than the market prices made to a considerable extent, 

 must really tend to reduce prices, or stop for a time the 

 sale not only from private, but even from crown estates, 

 because these redactions draw after them a decrease of 

 demand in the markets, and often consequently limit the 

 extent of the wood trade. 



' All the forest estates under crown management in the 

 Kursk government form five forest districts : 



