2 BULLETIN 718, U. S. DEPARTMENT' OF AGRICULTURE. 
been proved by experience to give the best results. It is meant par- 
ticularly for operators in Xational Forest timber, but should be useful 
to other owners of portable mills where conditions are like those in 
the Xational Forests. 
GENERAL SUGGESTIONS FOR PORTABLE SAWMILL OWNERS. 
LOOK BEFORE YOU LEAP. 
Before purchasing a new mill or moving an old one to a new 
location, an operator should carefully inform himself regarding the 
following points : 
Amount of timber available for his operations. 
Kinds and grades of lumber the timber will produce. 
Density of the stand and conditions governing its cutting and 
removal. 
Method of marking timber to be cut. 
Method of scaling and lengths allowed for trimming. 
Penalty scale for broken trees and logs left on the ground. 
Length of time each year during which operations can be 
profitably carried on, and annual cut. 
Labor and supplies required and working capital necessary to 
finance the job. 
Margin of profit on which the business can be operated. 
Stumpage prices and how obtained. 
Payments and manner of making them. 
Logging costs and methods. 
Number of teams available for logging, for delivering lumber, 
and for hauling supplies. 
River and road improvements necessary. 
Brush disposal, and cutting and utilization of defective timber. 
Capacity, equipment, and power of mill. 
Milling or manufacturing costs. 
Distance to market and condition of roads. 
Capacity of market and prices for different grades. 
Competition. 
Possibility of establishing a small retail yard. 
Amount of lumber which market conditions require to be car- 
ried in stock. 
Market for by-products, such as mine timbers, railroad ties, 
telephone, telegraph, and power poles, field posts, cordwood. 
Responsibility for fire. 
Sanitary regulations. 
If there is doubt about your ability to meet any of the conditions 
affecting the operation, go slow. It is a great deal better to* find out 
beforehand that the chances are against success than to discover 
this fact only after you are in and can't get out. 
