178 TRANSACTIONS OF ROVAL SCOTTISH ARBORICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



is a point about wiiich there can hardly be any difference 

 of opinion. So, again, whether there have or have not been 

 any material changes in the climate (of any one locality), 

 within historic times, seems comparatively immaterial. We 

 are in Europe familiar with the multiplicity of cultivated field 

 crops, vegetables, and flowers, and even with the numerous 

 cultivated stocks of the trees of our parks and avenues, but 

 we are practically ignorant of the special developments of 

 our forest trees and very much more so of the Indian forest 

 trees. In fact, it would seem we may have jumped to conclusions 

 rather hastily that where economic variations exist specific 

 departures are involved. It is largely on this account that 

 I have ventured to regret the absence of botanical drawings 

 of at least the more important trees. Brandis congratulates 

 himself that in the selection of his illustrations he had been 

 able to avoid the common plants. But, as a matter of fact, 

 the rare trees are less important to the forest officer than the 

 common ones. It is the every-day commercial trees that 

 call for comparative and critical study, one locality with 

 another. We read that the timbers of a certain species are 

 better from one district than another. Is that edaphic, climatic, 

 or varietal? Good specific illustrations would naturally become 

 the basis of a study of special developments, both of the plants 

 and of the silvicultural issues concerned. 



