65 



By price is here meant, of course, the net price of the 

 trees when standing in the forest, after deduction of all cost 

 of felling and extraction. The price must be calculated per 

 unit of Tolume in the rough, unless where there is only a 

 demand for standing trees. When poles or timber in the 

 rough or logs are sold, the price realised per cubic foot for 

 differently sized pieces directly indicates the size of the trees 

 which are most useful and which will bring in the highest 

 revenue ; provided that the cost of extraction is in all cases 

 previously deducted. 



It will often be found that, owing to defective means of transport and to the- 

 greater cost coasequeutly involved in extraction, the net price of large logs is lower 

 than that of small, although the selling price of the former when delivered to the 

 co&samer may be very much higher. 



When the size of the trees is calculated from the ruling 

 price for converted timber, planks, sleepers, etc., or manu- 

 factured articles, the loss in conversion must be calculated 

 in order to ascertain the cost per cubic foot, and that size 

 should be ascertained in respect of which the loss is least. 

 Almost invariably the loss will be least when the trees are 

 largest. 



Suppose that sleepers, each containing 2 cnbic feet and costing one rupee to saw 

 and deliver, sell for tt3 each. In order to ascertain the price realised per cubic foot 

 in the rough, it will be necessary to know the average namber of sleepers yielded by 

 and the average cnbic contents of an exploitable tree. Suppose the average diameter 

 of the trees felled was l^feet and that it was found that each tree felled contained 80 

 cnbic feet and yielded 20 sleepers the price realised per tree would be 20x 2=B40, and 

 the price per cnbio foot standing would be H|§=8 annas. The loss in the conversion 

 of these trees is 80 — 40 or 60 per cent. It should be ascertained whether this loss 

 would not be less and the piice realised consequently higher if larger trees were felled. 

 Thus, suppose it was found that 2 feet trees containing 120 onbio feet yielded 40 

 sleepers, the net price realised per standing trees would be 40x2=B80, or per cubic 

 foot iB^%=ll annas- The loss on conversion is 120— 80=40 cubic feet, or 33 per 

 cent., as compared with 50 per cent, when 1| feet trees were felled. 



A higher revenue is not realised by felling large trees 

 unless the net price of the latter per cubic foot is higher. 

 The price per tree standing would of course be higher even 

 if the price per cubic foot did not rise. But this must not 

 be mistaken for a higher revenue ; for on the same area 

 more small trees than large can be grown. I^ie larger trees 

 might bring in double as much per tree as the smaller ; but 

 there might be double as many of the smaller stems. The 

 quantity of material produced per annum would be the 

 same. 



In fixing the dimensions of the exploitable tree the number of stems to be felled is 

 decided upon ; and it might be thought that, because the lower the age of felling the 

 more trees can be felled, the adoption of a lower age wbnld be better. Thus, suppose 

 a forest of 1,600 acres in which the exploitable size is fixed at 18 inches in diameter 

 corresponding to an age of 100 years ; that the annual yield is, say, 1,184 trees ; and 



