INTRODUCTION. 9 



to the permanent maintenance of their capa- 

 bilities. 



Some gross mistakes have unquestionably been 

 made in the past such as felling large quantities 

 of timber which were sold at an absolute loss upon 

 costs ; but such mistakes could only have been 

 made in ignorance of the relation of costs to 

 market value, and not in pursuit of any recognised 

 principle that it was necessary to do something, if 

 even at the cost of impoverishing the forests. But 

 it is even yet to be feared that, in some instances, 

 where seemingly satisfactory financial results are 

 achieved, there is not that attention to reproduction 

 which alone can justify the expectation of the per- 

 manent maintenance of the yield. 



The golden rule for the forester is to maintain 

 his forest at its highest capacity of production ; 

 to cut out annually an amount equal to the annual 

 increment; to reduce transit charges to a figure 

 which shall secure him a market for his whole 

 produce ; and where natural difficulties render it 

 impossible to take timber to market at a profit, 

 to sell such portion of his annual increment as he 

 can locally, reserving the forest for a future day ; 

 or, if it is in the Hills, for its importance in the 

 general economy of nature, apart from direct finan- 

 cial considerations. 



These ends can only be achieved by systematic 



