' The variety of forest materials required in the wood trade, as well with regard to kinds as with regard to dimensions, makes it difficult to fix prices for these materials, and considering the number of materials it would be easy in the wood-yard to mix the prices. The necessity to avoid this inconvenience has led to the system of considerably simplifying the business — most frequently it is usual to fix the price with timber of the same length from the vershock of thickness, and that of the same thickness from the archine in length; in the same way is fixed the price for carriage by land by proportioning the prices to the cubic contents; and the weight of the materials also supplies a means of satisfactorily fixing the price for transport.
' In addition to this the price in sales by the archine or vershock differs — one price is fixed for the archine if the sort is from 9 to 15 archines in length, another if 18 archines, and so on; and in the same way likewise for the vershock of thickness. Such a system might be adopted for estimates of crown forests, because it answers, as it were, the demand of the wood trade, and likewise takes account of the cubic contents of different sorts, and the cost of production of forest materials.
The Present State of the Wood Trade in the Government of Volhinia.
' In latter years the forests in the government of Volhinia have been cut down and cleared to a much greater extent than formerly. For this reason the wood trade of this government is far from being in a satisfactory state; sundry wood dealers receive very different profits from wood — instances of receiving great profits are intermitted with cases of great losses. Generally the wood trade in this government requires great caution.
' The principal occasions of such a state were — the cheap sale of forests by parties intending to take an active part in the troubles that arose in the south-western country, and the great demand for forest materials that ensued soon after these sales for Prussia, in consequence of known political events. The co-incidence of these two events gave many persons considerable profits; these were in many cases 75 to 150 per cent. Before this time the
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iss fellings in the government of Volhinia were much more limited than in the governments of Kovno, Grodno, and partly Minsk; and generally the dealers in forest products were very little known in Volhinia, and did not risk to make in it great purchases. When the demand for abroad increased, then in the forests of the governments of Grodno, Kovno, and partly Minsk, so long worked, they had to make fellings in places little convenient for meeting this demand, which had a tendency to raise prices for the timber destined to be taken out of the country. This rise of prices in connection with the cheap and great sales of wood, and there being no increased demand for labour in the government of Volhinia, afforded a means to a few wood dealers well acquainted with the forests of the government of Volhinia to make great profits. But such a state of affairs did not continue long; it soon changed to the detriment of the wood dealers. In the meantime the rumours of the profits had become known, and many hastened to take part in the wood trade, or to increase the business in it. When by this means the decreasing demand on the one side, and the increased offers of sale on the other, lowered the prices, some hastened to sell, others held, and in consequence of this the different results to the dealers became extreme. Many that waited for a more propitious time lost; those that hurried to sell received less profit than in former years; and finally those who bought woods in time, and managed to make a sale before the advent of this unusual state of the wood trade, gained considerable profit. Such variations in the wood trade during the last five years has been reflected on the income of the crown forests. In 1857 the revenue from the crown forests was 11,588 roubles, which increasing gradually, attained in 1861 to 42,215 roubles for sale of timber only; and in 18G2 it fell to 36,753 roubles; in 1863 to 28,591 roubles; but in 1864 it commenced to rise, and attained to 40,000 roubles; in 1865, 62,000 roubles; and in 1866, 79,000 roubles; so that two triennial periods (from 1861 to 1863, and from 1864 to
186 FOBESTRY IN LITHUANIA.
1866) present different results: in the first the yearly decrease of almost 10,000 roubles; and in the second the annual increase of almost 20,000 roubles, in consequence of which the income in three years almost doubled itself.
'The gross revenue from the crown forests of the government of Volhinia were —
1862. 1863. 1864. 1865. 1866. Roubles. Roubles. Roubles. Roubles. Roubles.