INTRODUCTION. 3 



money should be voted for the purpose of bringing out a 

 complete work worthy of Government authority, and that 

 the matter be submitted to our deputy surveyors of Royal 

 forests and our technical societies for consideration, to 

 draw up a plan of the work, to be referred by them to 

 Government for final approval. I would suggest that the. 

 work be copiously illustrated by good and judiciously 

 chosen photographs, to illustrate and explain portions of 

 the text. It is unnecessary for me to enter into any 

 detail of what the work should contain. This will be far 

 better settled by those to whom the matter will be 

 referred. 



"7. Excellent as many foreign publications on forest 

 matters are, the language in which they are written closes 

 them to the many ; and even good German and 

 French scholars shrink from books written in technical 

 language, interpersed with long compound words, from 

 which it is difficult to extract a definite idea, and especially 

 is this the case with Indian officers, who have laid aside 

 European for Asiatic languages. But, besides this ob- 

 jection, they are far too elaborate, and more fit for professors 

 in-doors than the active and practical forest officer who 

 must scour the country and not live on his book. There is 

 no mystery in forestry, and it is easily learnt. The scientific 

 student and the good practical forester are perfectly distinct 

 in their avocations. 



" 8. Writing from many years' experience in behalf of 

 forest officers, I know that they are starved for want of 

 one standard source of information, and, situated as they 

 are, it is most difficult to- get at sources whence they 

 could procure any. A work, such as might be prepared, 

 would not only be of immense value to them, but to every 

 landholder in this country who feels the want of a guide 

 before he enters upon planting or thinning on his property. 

 Such a work would soon be in the hands of a very largo 

 section of our countrymen, and its preparation is indeed a 

 national requirement. 



" 9. Before closing this letter I may perhaps be per* 



