PKEFACE 



This book was originally intended to form one of a 

 series of volumes on Agriculture in the Tropics. The 

 lamented death of its editor led to the abandonment 

 of the series, but as considerable progress had been 

 made with my contribution, it is now published as an 

 independent volume. 



The above statement must be my apology for the 

 title of the book. Had I undertaken it on my own 

 accord, I should have restricted its application to the 

 portions of the Tropics and of the Sub-Tropics in which 

 my own experience had been gained. However, I trust 

 that what I have written will not be found to disagree 

 with facts in other parts of the world which I am not 

 acquainted with. 



Before closing these preliminary remarks, I wish to 

 acknowledge my particular indebtedness to the late Mr. 

 W. R. Fisher's translation of Dr. A. F. W. Schimper's 

 Plant Geography, to which I had constantly to refer 

 while writing the first part of this volume ; also to Sir 

 William Schlich's several volumes of his Manual of 

 Forestry, and to the Manual of Indian Sylviculture, 

 by my old friend and mentor in Indian forests, Mr. 

 E. E. Fernandez. A reference to my footnotes will show 



