12 
forest soil proper; i. e., ground which, on account of soil conditions or 
topographic features, should be permanently kept under forest cover, 
and must in the finally developed state become the basis of wood 
cropping. . 
It will be readily admitted that in this classification the climatic and 
economic conditions under which the lands are situated must also be 
taken into account, the character of the soil alone being insufficient for 
such classification; even otherwise fertile lands might under certain 
conditions be better kept in forest crop to insure diversified manufac- 
tures, which establish a home market for capital, labor, and produce. 
Again, while by the mere statement of the farm area the immediate 
capacity of food production is at once more or less directly expressed, 
dependent only on the application of labor and skill, the statement of 
the woodlands area does not convey any idea of potential production, 
for forest crops are not and can not be raised in the manner of agricul- 
tural crops. They are and must be largely products of natural growth 
without any or much expenditure of labor. Hence, a description of the 
conditions of the natural growth upon them is essential to be able to 
estimate the economic value of the area in wood production. 
Forest crops grow as a rule in mixture, and in these mixed growths 
tree weeds, i. e., Species which either have no use or only inferior value 
occur. It becomes, therefore, necessary to know the composition of the 
forest growth in the proportion in which the different timber trees par- 
ticipate in it, if we wish to have any conception of its economic value 
and its promise for the future. The forest crop is one that does not 
ripen every year, nor is there even any particular time or age at which 
its natural development indicates that it is ready for harvest. Kco- 
nomic, not natural, conditions determine harvest time. It is therefore 
necessary to know something of the degree of development, the age of 
the crop, or the size to which it has attained, if we would fully estimate 
its economic significance for the present or future. 
Finally, to have a knowledge of the immediately available supplies, 
estimates of the standing timber, of the crop which is immediately 
ready for the ax, are needed. Here again the expert knowledge, not 
only of the timber estimator, but also a knowledge of market condi- 
tions is required to do justice to the subject. Various woods are used for 
various purposes, and the sizes which areuseful vary accordingly. The 
practice of the sawmills in different regions or under different economic 
conditions also vary, and thereby influence the amount of material that 
must be considered available. To get at a close estimate of standing 
timber would require much more elaborate painstaking and time rob- 
bing methods than the forest statistician could afford to employ for the 
purpose in view, which is to give an approximate picture of the con- 
dition of the resource. 
He relies, therefore, as far as possible upon the detailed estimates made 
by competent men for other purposes, checking and counter-checking 
