FARMER who plants potatoes in the spring feels 
reasonably certain that potatoes will still be a 
staple article of diet in the fall, and that at the end 
of the year he can sell his crop for at least enough 
to pay for his own labor. If he chooses to turn to 
some other crop, he can do so at the end of any year 
without serious loss, because nearly all of his invest- 
ment is in the land. 
In growing forest trees the situation is different. 
An owner can not give up timber growing at will 
without considerable loss. More of his investment 
is in the trees themselves than in the land, and im- 
mature trees can seldom be sold at all. Before 
undertaking to grow timber, therefore, it is exceed- 
ingly important to have some assurance that timber 
will be in demand when the trees are ready for 
cutting. 
The increasing substitution of other materials for 
wood in building and in a multitude of uses, the 
apparent rapid decrease in the per capita rate of 
timber consumption in the United States during the 
last 20 years, the very low per capita consumption 
of wood in the older industrial countries of west- 
ern Europe—such conditions cause the timberland 
owner to wonder whether there is any certainty that 
timber will continue to be indispensable, and if it 
will not rather come gradually into disuse. It is the 
purpose of this publication to present briefly the 
reasons for confidence that timber will always be 
in great demand, and that it is to-day a profitable 
crop to grow. 
Washington, D. C. Issued June, 1928 
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