THE STATE AND PRIVATE OWNERS 251 



the ideas of one man were invariably replaced by others 

 when his successor came on the scene. 



The only great change made in the British forestry of 

 to-day from the practice of a hundred years ago is due to 

 the introduction of exotic species, which has enabled the 

 modern planter to get the greatest variety into his woods, 

 and discover, by a process of elimination, the fittest for 

 economic conditions. In this respect Britain may be re- 

 garded as having given a lead to the Continent, while the 

 latter has given, in return, numerous hints but very few 

 lessons capable of application on a large scale. The 

 most marvellous thing about British forestry as it existed 

 fifty years ago was its comparative success, bearing in 

 mind the chaotic conditions under which it had been pro- 

 duced. The mistakes which were, and are, being made, may 

 be traced not so much to faulty knowledge and methods, 

 as to lack of organisation, and the personal influence 

 and financial requirements of a constantly changing 

 series of owners, most of whom have other objects in 

 view than the growing of commercial timber. 



On the Continent much the same state of affairs 

 might have existed had not the State stepped in, and 

 by force of example on the one hand, and mild forms of 

 encouragement and compulsion on the other, brought 

 private woods into line with economic principles. In 

 Great Britain the State did practically nothing until 

 the end of the nineteenth century to improve the con- 

 dition of private woods. Even the few examples it 

 afforded in the shape of Crown forests were rather objects 

 of ridicule than otherwise, and the last thing a proprietor 

 or his forester thought of doing was to follow the 

 antiquated methods of Crown forestry, and its absurd 

 attempts at growing oak' for the navy on perfectly 

 hopeless soils. 



The first important refoim movement concerned India 



