FOREST, riSH AND GAME COMMISSION. 221 



Four thousand dollars would certainly cover the cost of all the neces- 

 sary improvements, besides paying for all the timber and material needed 

 for the construction of a wooden dam. 



The small cost of the proposed improvements, when compared with 

 the probable gain by the increased value of the stumpage, makes their 

 construction imperative from a business standpoint. Each advance of one 

 cent per standard on the stumpage on the four townships would mean a 

 gain of about $28 000. There is no question but that the stumpage price 

 would be very materially advanced by having two outlets and by the con- 

 sequent rivalry in bidding. 



^tampage Ualaes of Species to be Removed. 



The prices of stumpage vary greatly according to the location of a 

 tract, the topography, and the stand of timber. From the standpoint of the 

 forester not less than of the lumberman, the prices that may reasonably 

 be expected for the stumpage on Township 40 requn-e consideration. 



What the lumberman can afford to pay depends upon several con- 

 ditions, all aiTecting the final question of what it will cost to deliver the 

 timber to the markets. The market price is the basis of the stumpage price, 

 and the cost of getting the timber to the market regulates the scale of prices. 

 For example, if the timber were worth at the mill $1.50 per standard, and 

 the cost of delivery were $1.00, the stumpage price that could be paid would 

 be 50 cents. If the timber could be delivered for 90 cents, the stumpage 

 price would be 60 cents. The conditions which govern the lumbering of a 

 tract regulate the stumpage prices. If a tract is very rough and 

 precipitous with a small stand of timber, a long haul to water, and then a 

 long and costly log drive before reaching market, the stumpage price 

 would be lower than if the tract were comparatively smooth, with good 

 skidding ground, a large stand of timber, short haul, and cheap log driving. 



Market and consequently stumpage prices of Spruce and Pine in the 

 Adirondacks have been steadily rising for some time, and especially of 

 Spruce, because of the increased demand for Spruce pulp-wood. The 

 increasing scarcity of timber lands, except those which are owned by the 

 State or large corporations and those in private preserves, will likewise 

 tend to maintain prices. As the growing scarcity of timber becomes 

 apparent, millmen and manufacturers are vying with the State in getting 



