PROFESSOR J. DECAISNE, Member of the Institute, Director of the 

 Gardens of the Museum of Natural History, Paris. 



MY DEAR SIR, In your learned and brilliant address 

 delivered at the Museum the thirtieth of April last, you 

 sanctioned the method of pruning practised with perfect 

 success for more than forty years by M. de Courval in the 

 forests of his vast estate of Pinon (Aisue). 



M. de Courval has detailed his methods in a work l of great 

 interest and value, but too technical, and too expensive per- 

 haps, for general use. Having been long occupied in the 

 study of this important subject, I prepared, several years ago, 

 a purely practical treatise on pruning, almost identical in its 

 conclusions with the more elaborate work of M. de Courval, 

 although entirely based on my own observations and experi- 

 ments. 



Your encouragement and the desire of M. de Courval have 

 decided me to publish, almost in its original form, this treatise. 

 It has been used by a few practical foresters, a class for which 

 it is intended, although containing certain general considera- 

 tions to which I desire to call the attention of all interested 

 in sylviculture. 



The authority which you give me to place your name on 

 this page is the best guarantee I can offer to the public that 

 the system my humble production explains is based on true 

 scientific principles ; and your name will contribute more than 

 any other to the success of my efforts to preserve and develop 

 an important and neglected source of the national wealth. 



A. DES CARS. 

 PARIS, June, 1864. 



1 Taille et conduite des arbres forestiers et autres arbres de grande 

 dimension, ou Nouvelle m&hode de traitement des arbres a haute tige, etc. 

 Paris, 1861. 



