'The forests of the government of Kursk have their principal markets within the boundaries of the government; and in consequence of its having little wood the sales are very profitable. Generally, for the Kursk government forest materials are brought from the government of Tchernigov for the districts of Pontivle, Ruilsk, Soudjan; and for the districts of Kursk, Lgov, and Fatej, from the districts of Tronbteheosk and Seosk of the government of Orel. The cartage from the government of Orel is principally done by the peasantry of the Dmitrov district, whose position at about the half-way gives them the means of using their own provender, and of not requiring to be long absent from their homes. For both of the cartages (from the governments of Orel and Tchernigov) there is a different future. The cartage of forest materials from Tchernigov government to the districts of Pontivle and Ruilsk in the Kursk government, and to Soumnia and Lebedran, in the Kharkov government, must diminish, because the Kursk-Kiev railway, passing through the Tchernigov government, facilitates the transportation to these districts of a great part of the forest materials by railway. But the cartage of forest materials from the districts of Tronbteheosk and Seosk in the Orel governments to Fatej and other districts of the Kursk government, will increase, because the Kursk-Orel railway will not only add to the demand for forest materials in these districts, but it will give no facilities for transporting them cheaper, because the cartage is by a much shorter road than by rail.
' Going to the Tronbteheosk and Seosk districts for forest materials, the peasantry take some goods from the Kursk government, principally grain, or for small dealers, different spices, fruits, and wine, and on their return bring principally boards, and small binding materials.
Under favourable circumstances they manage to make six turns (a turn is considered the sale of the wood.)
' Favourable circumstances consist in fine weather and the quick purchase of forest materials in the forest belt, and in the quick sale of these in the parts requiring wood.
' With regard to the fine weather they are guided by the traditions of the elders, and as the medium length of each half way is about a week, therefore for such a short time the predictions of the local meterologists are generally not far wrong.
' For expediting the purchase of forest materials in the forest belt they apply to the some dealers, or joining together, buy a part of a wood, divide it among themselves, tree by tree, and then each fells his own and carts it away with his own horses. As guard and manager on the spot there remains generally the most respectable member of this company, and he receives for his trouble a remuneration in forest materials; remunerations in money are considered insulting. The principal condition for the success of this trade are rapid sales in places requiring wood. For this object they find purchasers beforehand, and make an agreement as to what materials, and for what price, they are to bring. Frequently the materials are brought to market, and if there be no buyer at a remunerative price (which sometimes happens when there is great supply), they have to feed their horses several days in the expectation of a buyer. But this is unprofitable, because buyers appear generally only on market days, of which there is only one or two a week, and consequently the provender of horses would cause great expense; and they sell their trees to a richer dealer who can wait for a purchaser. Such a sale does not bring the same profit as the sale to a consumer would. With such a supply trade the supply may not be proportionate to the demand, and in such cases the prices fall to the last extreme. In such cases one may see the very same kind of materials sold by different dealers on the same market days asking prices varying from 1 to 2 or 1 to 3. This proceeds from
the fact that one has been in the market a long time and not sold his goods, and lowered the price; while another has only just come, and is not convinced of the excess of supply, and therefore keeps to the normal prices; but several days will pass, and he will lower his prices more than his neighbours.
' The want of capital for buying forest materials in such cases has created something like commission yards. For a certain allowance of part of the materials, or of the realised sum for their sale, they put up the unsold materials with an acquaintance; he is empowered to sell them; and they call for the proceeds at their leisure. Many capitalists, wood dealers, have commenced by such corn mission ship in the wood trade in the governments of Orel and Kursk.