PREFACE. Vll 



knots. Moreover, conifers generally grow too quickly in 

 Britain, because the woods are too heavily thinned while 

 young; hence the individual trees increase too rapidly, and 

 produce timber inferior to that of the same species imported 

 from the Baltic, and grown in crowded woods. 



Secondly, the home-grown timber is brought into the market 

 in fluctuating quantities, so that neither a regular timber trade, 

 nor superior methods of working up the material, nor forest 

 industries, have a chance of developing and thriving. In 

 short, the whole business is far too haphazard. 



Economic forestry, to be successful, must be conducted 

 on true sylvicultural principles, arid the yield must be so 

 regulated, that, approximately, the same quantity of material 

 may be brought into the market every year ; in other words, 

 the principle of a sustained and well-regulated yield must be 

 recognized. Then, and then only, can adequate financial 

 results be expected from forestry. 



These are the principles which I have endeavoured to 

 explain in this and the previous two volumes. Whether the 

 student proposes to follow the profession of a forester in this 

 country, in India, the Colonies, or in America, makes no 

 difference ; the principles are the same everywhere. Once 

 they have been thoroughly assimilated, the student will without 

 difficulty apply them to the special conditions with which he 

 may have to deal in any part of the world. 



While I was Inspector General of Forests to the Govern- 

 ment of India, I was fortunate enough to obtain sanction to 

 the establishment of that branch of the Indian Forest 

 Department, which is known as " The Working Plan Branch." 

 This, no doubt, was a very important step, because the 

 measure provided that gradually working plans should be 



