50 ANCIENT WOODS. 



like this, or in any other, specific rules or direc- 

 tions which shall constitute a sufficient guide for 

 the manager of woods, out of the difficulties of a 

 false position, or enable him to reform the errors 

 of a vicious practice : for, first, not one woodman 

 in fifty would he convinced, hy any process of 

 reasoning, that the present state of woods is so 

 bad as I have described it to be ; and if they 

 would not admit the existence of the evil, they 

 would not be likely to perceive the value of any 

 remedial measures that might be recommended. 

 Next : a difficulty would every where present it- 

 self, if woods were improperly treated, from the 

 woodman feeling that the introduction of any new 

 plans would, necessarily, involve the condemnation 

 of his own. Besides all this, as I have remarked 

 before, so many things have to be considered as to 

 the state of a wood, before a safe opinion could be 

 given as to the best course to be taken with it, 

 that nothing less than a minute examination, af- 

 fording the opportunity of duly weighing all the 

 circumstances of each particular case, would jus- 

 tify any man in suggesting a specific course. 



