106 ENGLISH WOODLANDS 



but if any of the facts are contrary to his own 

 theories he may, very possibly, omit to notice 

 them or pass over them very lightly, and thus 

 give an inaccurate account of the real reason 

 why the wood is successful. If a writer is re- 

 porting the success of a wood managed accord- 

 ing to a method which he approves, he will 

 almost certainly so represent the facts as to 

 suggest that the method and the success are 

 connected together as cause and effect. Further, 

 except subject to caution, not much benefit can 

 be derived from reading reports about foreign 

 woods unless they are situated in countries 

 whose conditions are fairly similar to those of 

 the United Kingdom. There is always the 

 possibility that the success of any woods in 

 foreign countries may be due to conditions 

 present in those countries and non-existent in 

 the United Kingdom. 



The reflections — the result of investigation 

 into the reasons of success — are, when clearly 

 expressed, the practical rules of forestry. The 

 truth of these rules is the result of several 

 sciences, such as botany, chemistry, entomology, 

 and others. 



It is no easy matter to say how far a practical 

 man should endeavour to acquire a knowledge 



