84 FORESTRY IN SPAIN. 



It may be long before Botany takes a place among the 

 so-called exact sciences, but much was done to impart to 

 the studies prosecuted under the designation of Applied 

 Botany somewhat of the character of these. In 1877 there 

 was published by El Illmo. Senor D. Maximo Laguna, one of 

 the fathers of the School of Forestry, of whom mention 

 has been made, an inaugural discourse, delivered by him 

 before the Royal Academy of Science in Madrid Discurso 

 leido ante la Real Academia de Sciencas Exactes, Fisicas, y 

 jVaturales, por El flmo. Senor D. Maximo Lagwia, en su Reception 

 Publica. 



Some years since, by Royal order, a commission was 

 given to this distinguished naturalist, as Inspector- 

 General of of the Corps of Forest Engineers, and others to 

 be associated with him, to prepare a report of the forest 

 flora of Spain. In 1883 the first part of their report was 

 printed at the expense cf the Government. It comprises 

 a description of the trees, shrubs, and bushes, indigenous 

 or naturalized, in Spain, with short notes and observations 

 or. the culture and economic uses of the more important. 

 There are given the most generally-used systematic names ; 

 1 he popular mimes; references to plates besides those accom- 

 panying the roport which have been examined : a detailed 

 description of each plant ; the areas throughout which they 

 are found ; the locality in Spain in which each is found ; con- 

 ditions of the locality in which it flourishes; and brief 

 remarks on its culture and exploitation. And it was 

 intimated that probably theie would afterwards be issued 

 as an apptndix to this woik, a description of the trees and 

 shrubs most frequently cultivated in Spain but that this 

 would be strictly a flora, and not a treatise on sylviculture, 

 nor on exploitation or forest management ; there would be 

 given, however, some indications of the products and the 

 culture of the more important. 



In the following year there were issued, at the expense 

 of the Government, 1000 copies of 38 plates, executed in 

 chromo-lithograph, illustrative of the first part of the report 

 of the commission. Every precaution necessary was taken 



