110 THE FOREST LANDS OF NORTHERN RUSSIA. 



limited distance from some stream, or in some locality 

 whence they can easily be transported to some river or 

 stream. In these cold sterile countries which cannot 

 grow grain, timber trees grow to perfection ; and the long 

 winter facilitates operations, as during that season snow 

 covers the ground, and by the aid of sledges the peasant 

 can convey the timber to the banks of the river over 

 districts where no wheel can pass. When the snow melts 

 the rivers rise, and the timber is thus floated down at 

 small expense to the mills. Forests far away from rivers 

 are not valuable, the expense of the carriage of timber 

 being great. The value of a fir tree averages 3s, the cost 

 of cutting is about Is, the floating to St Petersburg will 

 be about Is 9d. The branches are used for firewood, and 

 the bark is cleared away, buried, or burned. The supply 

 has hitherto been maintained by the abundance of 

 the timber in the woods ; but latterly they have been 

 going deeper and deeper into the forests, and further and 

 further and further from the navigable streams ; and there 

 can be no doubt that in course of years the supply must 

 decrease unless certain restrictions are established. 



' In our contract with the Government it is stipulated 

 that the timber shall each year be cut only in the district 

 pointed out by the forest officers. By this arrangement 

 the forests are not destroyed, but thinned out periodically. 

 With us large trees do not suit, as in them the centre is to 

 some extent decayed. We generally cut down trees mea- 

 suring from four feet to five feet in circumference. 



' The Company have two saw-mills on the Ponga and one 

 on the Onga, both tributaries of the Onega.' 



From another gentleman I received the following more 

 detailed information in 1874 : 



1 The Onega Wood Company have made a contract with 

 the Russian Government to the effect that it has the right 

 during the space of twenty years to fell not less than 60,000 

 and not more than 200,000 trees in each year. The 

 datcha (districts) in which the Company may cut their trees 



