72 Canadian Forestry Journal. 



ties and uses of its wood, bark, gum, or other products; the 

 removal, preparation and marketing of these products, and the 

 various economies that may be gained by skilful operations. He 

 must possess a knowledge of all that pertains to the growth and 

 production of forest trees, and with this knowledge he must 

 combine the further knowledge of how to manage a forest pro- 

 perty so as to produce conditions that will result in the highest 

 attainable revenue from the soil by wood-crops. His business 

 is to grow crops of trees, and make them pay. If he does not 

 succeed in this, we are better without him. If he can succeed, 

 and does succeed, then we should secure his services as soon 

 as possible. 



The idea that scientific foresters are purely theoretical, 

 and of little or no use, is now pretty well exploded, even in 

 America, and it will not be long before the science of forestry 

 is recognized as a distinct profession here as in Europe, where 

 much of the timber land is made to yield a yearly revenue of 

 five dollars per acre, instead of being sold for taxes. The forester 

 does not aim to oppose nature, but to assist her; to make use of 

 the favourable conditions naturally existing in any given locality, 

 and to hold in check the unfavourable ones. He exercises his 

 skill in the selection of the most suitable species, and modifies 

 their growth so that they will produce the most valuable timber in 

 the shortest possible time without diminishing the value of the 

 soil for the production of future crops. Just as the agriculturist 

 is engaged in the production of food-crops, so the forester is 

 engaged in the production of wood-crops. Both carry on their 

 business for the practical purpose of a revenue; both must 

 protect the crop from insect ravages, fungous diseases and fire; 

 both must guard against the impoverishment of the soil, and 

 constantly aim to increase its value. In each case the land is 

 the principal capital, and any part of it either wholly non-pro- 

 ductive or turned to a less profitable use than it might be re- 

 presents so much wasted capital. Like other forms of capital, 

 there is no reason w^hy our forest wealth cannot be made to 

 perpetually renew itself and yield ample interest from year to year 

 without diminishing the original endowment. In addition to the 

 growing of wood-crops for profit, the forester must consider the 

 indirect effects of the forest on rainfall, the flow of streams, the 

 growing of grain and fruit crops, and many other complex 

 problems. He must cultivate a receptive attitude of mind, and 

 endeavour to develop what may be best described as faculty — 

 the rare gift of understanding the real relations of problems that 

 at first sight do not seem to have any bearing whatever upon one 

 another. Just as the science of botany deals with everything 

 pertaining to vegetation, so the science of forestry has to do with 

 everything connected with forests — everything. 



Like agriculture and mining, forestry has a scientific basis, 



