10 



It may be objected that the age at which a crop yields the greatest quantity of 

 material, oi the highest interest of the capital invested, is not the age at which the 

 individual trees are the largest. This is perfectly true ; bnt there are cases in which, 

 if the trees were felled when the crop would yield the greatest amount of material or 

 the highest interest, the latter of which conditions is reached at a comparatively low 

 age, the material might not be of the most usefnl size or bring in most money. 

 It would not he of much use ascertaining that, at the age of 10 years, a forest would 

 yield the highest interest on the capital invested if the wood were nnder the bize 

 required, or that, at the age of 120 years, it would give the greatest quantity of mate- 

 rial when the requirements were beams obtainable only from large trees 150 yesirs 

 old. Even if this were not the case, there »re hardly any instances in which data are 

 available for making such calculations. The age at which an exploitation furnishes 

 the greatest quantity of produce is that at which the sum of the pioduction, that is to 

 say, the total quantity of material produced (including whatever has been removed or 

 has disappeared since the young growth first sprang up) divided by the age of the crop 

 is greatest. The material removed is of course hardly ever knoirn, and the experi- 

 ments required to ascertain the balance on the ground would, in default of suitable 

 crops, generally be impossible in India. 



Calculating the age at which the interest on the capital invested in the forest is 

 highest, involves ascertaining by experiment the quantity of material the forest 

 wonld yield if felled at various ages, and the net price at which this material could he 

 sold ; and it is, therefore, only in rare instances that the calculation can be made. 



It may, therefore, he generally affirmed that, for practical purposes, the exploitable 

 age of a forest crop is the age at which the individual trees furnish the kind of 

 produce most wanted. This is not by any means necessarily the age at which the 

 trees are largest : it may quite as well be the age at which the trees furnish small 

 rafters or fuel billets. 



Exploitable age for State forests — There are two great 

 classes of forest proprietors, the private owner and the State. 

 With the private owner we are not here concerned. He will 

 arrange to suit his own interests, felling the produce when it 

 will either best meet his wants, or so as to bring in the 

 highest annual revenue or the highest interest on the capital 

 invested in the forest. It is, however, frequently asserted 

 that the State, as representing the community at large, should 

 alioays have in view the production of large trees which 

 furnish produce most generally useful : for, while a large tree 

 will yield small timber, large timber cannot be obtained from 

 a small tree. This is, however, only true in so far that, as a 

 rule, the State alone can afford to grow large trees. Private 

 owners will not do so, as it does not pay them ; so that, if 

 large wood is required, it must be produced in forests owned 

 by the State. The price realised is the best measure of the 

 utility ; and if large timber sells well it is certainly in de- 

 mand and is useful. By felling, therefore, trees of that size 

 for which the highest price is obtained, the public will, in 

 most cases, though not always, be best served. 



Where the price of large timber is not higher than that 

 of small there is no pecuniary advantage in felling at an ad. 

 vanced age. Bxclusive of very young crops and those in full 



