INTRODUCTION 



THE extraordinarily successful results which agri- 

 culture and horticulture attained through the in- 

 troduction of foreign plants awakened the idea 

 in Germany, more than a hundred years ago, 

 of introducing foreign forest trees, both for 

 ornament and for commercial purposes, and to 

 increase the value of forests in quality and 

 quantity. 



Attention was first directed towards East 

 America, whence the story came of extraordinary 

 timber wealth and of especially valuable trees. 

 Under the direction of Burgsdorff, Wangenheim, 

 Bechstein, and others, about three hundred 

 species of trees were finally chosen, at the 

 end of the eighteenth century, for experimental* 

 planting in the woods. 



Nevertheless these introductions did not 

 attain forestal or economic importance be- 

 cause the experiments were carried out without 

 plan or protection, i.e., without a knowledge of 



