320 OUR FORESTS AND WOODLANDS 



being as yet available for Britain. In doing so, 

 I would merely echo the words of the Earl of 

 Rosebery (in connection with quite another matter) 

 on 23rd January last : * I say this, that we are a 

 people of enormous waste. We waste simply 

 by not pursuing scientific methods. I do not 

 like to compare us with Germany; but, at any 

 rate, we may be certain of this, taking Germany 

 as an example of the opposite method of treat- 

 ment, Germany is infinitely more painstaking in 

 her methods than we are. But without taking 

 as a model Germany or any other country . .. . 

 we must become more scientific in our methods.' 

 By means of such statistical tables, based on 

 the average of thousands of crops of timber, and 

 compiled locally for special use in different parts 

 of the German Empire, the returns which should 

 be given can be forecast if the quality of the soil 

 and situation are known ; or the latter can easily 

 be determined by the actual amount of wood 

 yielded on felling a mature timber crop that has 

 been properly managed. One particular lesson 

 that can obviously be drawn from them is the 

 great advantage to be obtained by suiting the 

 kind of crop to the soil and situation rather 



