THE SCOPE OF DENDROLOGY IN FOREST BOTANY. 

 By H. DE Forest. 



Any new branch of science, in its earlier stages, is necessarily 

 in a plastic condition. For some time its organization represents' 

 little more than accumulations of more or less closely related 

 facts. Exactly what scope and proportions the subject shall ulti- 

 mately assume remains a matter of conjecture and discussion. 

 Then, later, as experience and further investigation lead to 

 clearer comprehension and greater definiteness of intention, these 

 facts are classified and arranged in established categories, so that, 

 while the subject even then is still not a body of unchangeable 

 form, it nevertheless has taken on definite proportions and occu- 

 pies a more or less fixed space. 



It is peculiarly necessary at the present stage of the develop- 

 ment of forestry in this country that the concepts of several 

 branches' of the general subject be subjected to critical analysis 

 with a view to their occupying their proper places in the forestry 

 system and so most effectively discharging their functions. It 

 is only by such methods that real advances in the technique of 

 any line of scientific work can be made. Furthermore, such 

 critical investigation, in order to serve best its' object of establish- 

 ing sound bases for technical training, must be divorced from 

 any purpose of making an acceptable popular appeal, a purpose 

 that rightfully prevails in the presentation to the public of many 

 lines of forestry work, and remain based solely upon scientific 

 principles, with the somewhat abused term scientific employed 

 here in its implication of technical service of a utilitarian object. 

 It is proposed to examine briefly the subject of dendrology. For 

 the clearest understanding of its scope it will be desirable to 

 consider first what relations it bears to the rest of the general 

 subject of forest botany to which it belongs. 



Place of Dendrology in Forest Botany — Its Relation to Ecologi- 

 cal Science. 



Forest botany, it is believed, consists of two distinct parts. 

 One deals with tree species, with facts concerning the individual 



