162 JOURNAL OF FORESTRY 



sense of justice are assets to any white man in the tropics. To really 

 understand the thoughts and mental processes of any people, it is a 

 necessity to know the language of that people, and Americans are not 

 noted as linguists. Particularly foresters, who are constantly coming 

 in contact with the common people in outlying districts, should have 

 at least a working knowledge of the language, as much valuable and 

 useful information can be obtained and the work made easier along all 

 lines. 



"If I have not touched on any detailed problems, this is because I 

 wished to emphasize, as said above, that the success of the work depends 

 not so much on methods as on men — the character of the players is 

 more important than the rules of the game. 



"Finally, I would repeat that forestry work in the tropics is intensely 

 interesting; the very difficulties encountered in seeking out the un- 

 solved mysteries of the tropical forests create an interest that verily 

 absorbs the man engaged in the work and makes him either forget the 

 physical discomforts and social or political obstacles he meets, or 

 else strive all the harder to overcome them." 



After all that is said the essentials for success in the tropics are the 

 same as those for temperate regions. The main difference is that the 

 weeding out is a little higher up the scale. Men with weak, or mediocre 

 moral characters, without much initiative, and especially those weak 

 physically, are not likely to succeed in the tropics, whereas in temperate 

 regions they may attain some degree of success because of better living 

 conditions and moral environment. 



Nearly all those who have made a success in the tropics had no 

 special training other than a general all-round course in forestry. Per- 

 haps none of them contemplated going to the tropics when they received 

 this training. The opportunity came and they accepted it. In many 

 cases the first year was spent in adjusting themselves to the new 

 conditions and to getting over being afraid of the tropics. Some men 

 do this more quickly than others. Especially is this true of those who 

 have had experience in the wilder parts of our own country, where 

 with the exception of the climate the general social conditions are 

 not entirely dissimilar. 



Training in school cannot wholly take the place of experience. The 

 general course that is given in tropical forestry at Yale has for its 

 main object to supplement the work of the other courses associated with 

 it. It strives to give in a general way the essential differences between 

 temperate and tropical forests, and to point out how the economic 



