xiv PREFACE 



harvesting of osier-withes, or the collection of oak-bark 

 and fuel from coppices formed on suitable soil would 

 entail no wanton exposure of human life, and would 

 surely be more profitable than the present casual 

 and unremunerative growth of rank grasses, furze, 

 broom, brambles and other weeds. Throughout 

 Mecklenburg the bermes along the railway lines are 

 thus utilised, and that similar operations are quite 

 feasible in England can easily be seen at many places 

 between Brentwood and Colchester on the Great 

 Eastern Railway, where a fair and probably spontan- 

 eous growth of willows may often be noticed. 



In consequence of the continuous depression in 

 the value of agricultural holdings, many tracts 

 hitherto under tillage or pasture have sunk to such 

 low rentals that it is a question well worthy of con- 

 sideration, if they might not now be more profitably 

 cultivated as woodlands for the production of a 

 portion of the timber for which many millions of 

 pounds are annually expended by the building and 

 other trades in the purchase of timber imported from 

 the Continent, that might quite easily be grown here. 



Whilst this little work is specially intended for the 

 use of landowners and of those already engaged 

 in practical forestry, it is hoped that at the same time 

 it may perhaps assist in stimulating a little interest 

 in sylviculture through Britain, where even among the 

 more intelligent classes all that is known about our 

 beautiful forest trees seldom goes further than the 

 casual (and often rather doubtful) recognition of the 

 various species in parks and ornamental woods. 



J. NlSBET. 

 8t/t December, 1892. 



