VOLUME AND YIELD, FIRST-GROWTH HEMLOCK. 



31 



Table 6. — Merchantable length and content^;. 



In this table small trees appear to scale much too high in proportion 

 to the larger ones. This is because only unusually tall and good trees 

 of the smaller diameters are taken at all, and their average is relatively 

 high, while above 30 inches practically all sound trees are cut. 



To the logger who profits onl}^ on the number of feet he sells, 

 Table 6 shows that his possible gain in feet, board measure, by cutting 

 higher into the tops is small, even assuming he has a market for tim- 

 ber of the quality he would obtain thereby. A mill cutting its own 

 timber would gain much more, for the inconsistency of the log scale 

 is such that the table does not show the actual difference in the amount 

 of wood saved by cutting to 10 inches. For example, a log 40 feet 

 long and 16 inches in diameter at the small end, scaled by the Scribner 

 Rule, contains 396 board feet. If 10 feet are cut off the small end of 

 the log, allowing 2 inches taper for this distance, the log will be 30 

 feet by 18 inches, and will scale 400 board feet, an apparent gain of 4 

 feet by throwing away a log 10 feet by 16 inches. In sawing long 



