A fact that should be noted with respect to Swedish goods is that where a mixed grade is shipped usually no separate firsts and seconds are exported, as these best qualities are not sorted from one another.
List of Marks.—In the same way nearly all other firms in the Baltic and Norway trade make use of some simple method of signifying qualities, in which the initials of the head of the firm or of the company (where a company is in proprietorship) form the chief distinguishing features. Obviously, therefore, no universal key can exist that will at once make clear all details as to qualities, port of shipment, etc., except it be in the nature of a long list of names and addresses of manufacturers, and of the initials and symbols that are peculiar to the productions of each. Such a list has been compiled, and is in general use by timber merchants and all connected in any way with the timber trade; it contains upwards of two thousand marks and brands. One of the essentials of such a work is that it should be kept up to date, as new firms and symbols are constantly appearing on the market, while others fall off from time to time. Lastly, the marking, when applied to logs, assumes several new characters; it may be said that frequently group numbers, cutting numbers, private sub-owner numbers, and marks, contents marks, and even dates, are sometimes placed on the ends and sides of logs.
