Coombe Plantation, Keswick. [august, 



For the fourth period the profit was is. 6d. per acre; for the 

 sixth, ios. $d.; the seventh, £i 12s iod.; the eighth, 

 £1 16s. 2d.; and the succeeding periods, 6s. _gd., 18s. yd., 

 £1 6s. iod., and 185.; while from the final fellings from 

 467 acres during the last ten years the profit has worked out 

 at £1 6s. 3d. and £1 js. nd. per acre per year respectively. 

 About the fifteenth year, then, the plantation began to pay 

 its way, and as far as thinnings are concerned the best returns 

 were obtained from the twenty-fifth to the thirty-fourth year. 

 This is largely accounted for by the fact that at that time 

 the sale of bark was very profitable. 



The total volume of thinnings of larch timber (neglecting 

 small stuff) works out at 172,900 cubic ft., or approximately 

 870 cubic ft. per acre; and of spruce, Scotch pine, and silver 

 fir timber, 23,170 cubic ft., or 120 cubic ft. per acre. 



The final fellings from 467 acres yielded 51775 cubic ft. 

 of larch, or 1,110 cubic ft. per acre, and 17,590 cubic ft. spruce, 

 &c, or 380 cubic ft. per acre. As previously noted, this 

 return was obtained from the poorer part of the wood. 



Larch timber throughout has brought a good price, 

 averaging about iod., with a minimum of 8d. (1884), and a 

 maximum of is. id. (1878) per cubic ft. The price obtained 

 in 1909 was iojd., with a slight upward tendency. Scotch 

 fir and spruce brought 3d. per cubic ft. 



For the purposes of comparison it may be useful to record 

 the conditions under which these prices were obtained in 1909. 

 The crop was felled by the buyer, who had to remove the 

 timber within a year, and the price per cubic foot included the 

 bark. The cutters receive 3s. per 100 cubic ft. for large larch, 

 and 4s. to 4s. 6d. per 100 cubic ft. for small larch and spruce. 

 The plantation is provided with a system of unmetalled roads 

 which lead on to the main road from Keswick to Cocker- 

 mouth over the Whinlatter Pass. They are for the most 

 part badly graded. 



The repair of the roads has to be executed by the timber 

 merchants, and last year the sum of ^28 was expended on 

 this work. The timber is carted from the plantation to 

 Cockermouth, where the larger material is sawn up and the 

 smaller sent on to the mines at Whitehaven. The distances 

 and conditions are such that each carter can take one load a 

 day from the plantation to Cockermouth. The estimated cost 



