CHAPTER V. 



FACTORS OF FOREST PRODUCTION AND BUSINESS 

 ASPECTS. 



Forestry, as we have seen, is, like agriculture, 

 concerned in producing continuously crops or 

 equivalent money values from the use of the soil ; 

 yet forestry differs from agriculture, not only in 

 the kind of crop, but it differs totally in the man- 

 ner of producing the crop and in the use and com- 

 bination of all the factors of production. 



This difference is mainly brought about by that 

 element in production by which forest production 

 differs from all other productive industries, namely, 

 the time element. 



Agricultural crops are usually ready for harvest 

 the same year they are planted, or at least in a 

 year or two ; orchard-crops require a few years to 

 establish the basis for an annual or biennial return 

 of crops ; but a wood-crop does not become useful 

 until many years' growth has been accumulated. 



Every year a new layer of wood is laid on, 



over the layers that have been formed before, 



cornucopia-like, increasing the wood plant in 



height and circumference and consequently in 



io6 



