CURRENT LITERATURE 



Forest Valuation. By Filibert Roth. Volume II of Michigan 

 Manual of Forestry. Published by the Author. Ann Arbor, 

 Mich. 1916. Pp. 171. 



Forest Valuation. By H. H. Chapman. John Wiley & Sons, 

 New York. 1915. Pp. 310. 



It is most interesting to note these two volumes, which have 

 appeared within half a year of each other, together, for it would 

 hardly seem possible to treat the same subject in so absolutely 

 difTerent manner. The treatment in both is original, and in no 

 way resembles that of previous authors, mostly German. Both 

 books are written with American needs in view ; yet by merely 

 looking at the table of contents one notices differences at least 

 of arrangement, and in reading one is at once made aware of a 

 difference as one of opposite poles. Professor Roth, as is his 

 wont, approaches each problem in the simplest manner from the 

 concrete case, such as is apt to occur in practice, and leads one 

 by an interesting train of thought and with a persuasive com- 

 mon sense to recognize the propriety of the abstract deductions 

 and theoretical methods. Professor Chapman, on the contrary, 

 prepares first with the heavy artillery of theory and scientific 

 apparatus the way for attacking each problem, but he also con- 

 tinues relentlessly the use of the same arm. 



While, if anything, Roth's presentation appears almost too ele- 

 mentary and simple, and for a textbook, for which the volume is 

 clearly designed, rather deficient in theoretical discussion. Chap- 

 man's volume errs in the other direction by neglecting concrete 

 example and at times the "pedantry of erudition" hampers lucidity 

 of statement and makes the reading difficult and laborious, espe- 

 cially since irrelevant detail appears without diiTerentiation to- 

 gether with the essentials. 



Work such as these two volumes represent should, however, 

 be judged leniently for it is breaking new roads, to bring the sub- 

 ject of forest finance to fit American conditions and attitudes. 

 If, therefore, we appear to criticize sharply, it is done not in the 

 spirit of fault finding, but for the purpose of assisting in smooth- 

 ing the road. 



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