 DXLVI.—PRICES OF HOME-GROWN TIMBER 
for 1896. 
The following article reprinted from the Gardeners’. Chronicle of 
January 2, of the present year, is a useful summary of the prices of 
home- -grown timber during the preceding one. The subject is one of 
frequent inquiry. 
During the year 1896 * the prices of home-grown timber and forest 
roduce “generally, cannot be said to have greatly improved. Certainly,- 
ea 
during the last three months, and for certain kinds it may truthfully be 
said that the dean greatly exceeds the supply. This is especially 
true with oak, , and larch of good quality and large size, these 
meeting with a Fenty sale at fair rices. Large clean oak fetches from. 
1s. 8d. to fully 2s. per fcot, and several small parcels of gn pese 
changed hands of late at prices even in excess of any just named 
too, finds a ready market at ls. 8d. per foot, and that of extra 
quality was sold at an auction lately for 2s. per foot. Of course, the- 
— between clean grown plantation trees, and those from the 
fiel hedgerow is apparent to everyone interested in the conversion. 
of our dide as woods, and the purchaser pays accordingly. Elm is 
still a drug in the market, and plenty, of perhaps not the best quality, 
ean be got at the low fizure of 6d. a foot, and a large batch of roughish 
trees recently was sold for 4d. a foot. Large and sound sycamore finds 
a ready market at highly remunerative prices, and I recently sold a 
number of first-class trees at 2s. 6d. per foot, but from. 1s. 8d. to 2s. is 
nearer the mark general 
“ Then, * maiden ° willow, if fit tor pita Ag: finds a quick sale at 
high prices, and here again the supply falls far short of the demand. 
Beech, such as that produced on the Chiltern Hills, and in certain 
of Kent, dpa and Hertfordshire, sells readily at fully 1s. per foot,. 
though 8d. is the ave rage price in most parts of the country. The 
demand for this class of timber is very good at presenrs but rough, 
knotty small stuff can hardly be sold at even firewood pri 
, 
“ Both alder and birch fetch 10d. per foot, — A in dad where: 
the making of clog-soles is a part of ihe indus 
* Larch sells perhaps more readily than any idee of our home-grown. 
timbers, the rers E this on hand at the present time being small 
indeed. From 1s. s. Jd. may be considered fair for that of good 
quality. Scotch fite on pA other hand, is hard to get rid of even at the 
low Ay of 6d. per foot, and there are lots at present offered below that 
bees 
paid for Ge i ae e past season. When we count 30s. 
mensurate with the s diio: Tare ei to sell readily 
at 22s. per 100, but plenty are waiting to be sold ss 12s in the London 
market. Small faggots for fire lighting—* pimps” they are e in 
southern England--can now be bought in the city at 2s. 6d. per 100— 
a contrast to the 4s. 6d. readily got not so many years ago. "The split 
batten ends, now offered for sale by almost every grocer, have quite 
ousted the faggot from the market. 
