VI PREFACE. 



greatest perfection, so that the students who go out to India 

 or to the Colonies, or even those who remain in this country, 

 should hecome acquainted with the hest methods of managing 

 forests. When they have once mastered those methods, they 

 will be able to apply them, within a short space of time, to the 

 special conditions in which they have to work. This object 

 has, during the last few years, here and there been overlooked 

 or disregarded. Attempts have been made to teach British as 

 opposed to Continental forestry. Before this can successfully 

 be done, we must set to work and collect statistics derived 

 from home experience. When we have accomplished this, we 

 can proceed and write economic British forestry. Until then, 

 it would be unwise to reject the experience gained elsewhere, 

 even if it is derived from foreign sources. The great amount of 

 work devolving upon me W'ill not permit my taking as active a 

 part in the collection of statistics as I should like to do, but I 

 shall ever be ready to give advice to those who take up the work, 

 if they wish to have it. I cannot close these remarks without 

 mentioning one instance to the point. Mr. A. C.Forbes, the 

 lecturer on forestry at the Armstrong College, in the University 

 of Durham, has commenced collecting data in British w^oods on 

 lines which are likely to produce useful results, and I trust 

 that others will soon follow his example. 



I desire to offer my thanks to my old friend, Mr. F. B. 

 Manson, late Conservator of Forests in India, for looking 

 over the proofs of this volume. 



W. SCHLICH. 



Oxford, 



2mh Fthninry, 1900. 



