32 ECONOMICS OF FORESTRY. 



labor in this home exploitation. In addition, the 

 values of a material which on account of its bulki- 

 ness is only to a limited degree object of the world 

 trade, are but little influenced by the world's de- 

 mand, and dependent much more than food sup- 

 plies on home demand only ; and hence the values 

 of such material as wood are at a disadvantage, or 

 at least on a different footing, when compared with 

 other export materials. 



While the value of the raw forest products con- 

 sumed every year in the United States at places of 

 consumption, roughly shaped for further use, may 

 be placed at $600,000,000, this is enhanced by their 

 further manufacture to over $1,200,000,000, thus 

 making the result of the forest industries second 

 only to those of agriculture, the value of whose 

 products reached in the census year (1890) nearly 

 $2,500,000,000, while the total production of metals 

 which could in any way replace wood — gold and sil- 

 ver and iron included — reached only $270,000,000, 

 and the entire mining industry (quarries and every 

 kind of mineral or earthy product included) but 

 little over $600,000,000. (See Appendix for details. ) 



Although the forest industries are carried on 

 with proportionately small capital, over $560,000,- 

 000 were invested in the mere exploiting and first 

 preparation of the material in the lumber business, 

 while another $900,000,000 are employed in manu- 

 factures which rely either entirely, or to an extent 

 of over one-third of their product, on wood. 



