INTRODUCTION. 



particular attention to two: (1) "The Timber Supply of the 

 British Empire," read at the Imperial Institute in March, 

 1897; and (2) " The Outlook of the World's Timber Supply," 

 read before the Society of Arts in March, 1901. During the 

 last seven years I had the pleasure of advising several landed 

 proprietors regarding the management of their woods, for 

 whom I drew up management schemes, or working plans as 

 foresters call them. In 1903 I prepared a working plan for 

 the Alice Holt woods, belonging to the Crown. These labours 

 brought me more and more into contact with British forestry. 



On the 17th November, 1903, 1 gave a lecture on " Forestry " 

 at the lloyal Agricultural College, Cirencester, as Honorary 

 Professor of Forestry at that Institution. On the 25th 

 February, 1904, I delivered another lecture at Carpenters' 

 Hall, in the City of London, on " The Forestry Problem in 

 the United Kingdom." As various friends have taken an 

 interest in the matter, and asked for additional copies of my 

 last lecture, after the original stock had been exhausted, I 

 decided to publish the present essay. 



I propose to examine the question, whether extended and 

 improved forestry is of such importance to this country 

 generally, as to justify any special measures to be taken 

 towards furthering it, and if so, what these measures should 

 be. Hence, I have brought together the remarks made in my 

 last two lectures, extracts from my other publications, and 

 additional matter, so as to represent a somewhat enlarged 

 statement of the problem ; I have added notes on the afforesta- 

 tion of mountain and heath land, a special section on the 

 financial aspect of the business, and notes on the management 

 of some types of existing woodlands. The latter were pub- 

 lished by me some years ago in the "Gardeners' Chronicle." 

 I have now somewhat altered them, so as to bring them 

 up to date. ^ 



It will be understood, that I cannot give here a complete 

 treatise on the management of woodlands in the United King- 

 dom. I have only picked out some of the essential points : for 



