PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS. 645 



the vegetable coating, the space-related elements. Vegetation in this sense is 

 a geographical phenomenon of fundamental importance. It indicates quality — 

 quality of atmosphere and quality of soil. It is a visible synthesis of the 

 climatic and edaphic elements. Hence the vast lowlands of relatively uniform 

 land features are properly divided into regions according to vegetation — tundra, 

 pine forest, deciduous forest, warm evergreen forest, steppe, and scrub. Such 

 differences of vegetation are full of significance even in mountainous areas. 



The search after geographical unity — after general features common to recog- 

 nisable divisions of the Earth's surface, the analysis of these, their classifica- 

 tion into types, the comparisons between different examples of the types — seem 

 to me among the first duties of a geographer. Two sets of studies and maps 

 are essential — topographical and vegetational — the first dealing with the super- 

 ficial topography and its surface irregularities, the latter relating to the quality 

 of climate and soil. Much has been said in recent years — more particularly 

 from this Presidential chair — on the need for reliable topographical maps. 

 Without such maps no others can be made. But when they are being made 

 it would be very easy to have a general vegetational map compiled. Such maps 

 are even more fundamental than geological maps, and they can be constructed 

 more rapidly and cheaply. Every settled country, and more particularly every 

 partially settled country, will find them invaluable if there is to be any intelli- 

 gent and systematic utilisation of the products of the country. Possessing both 

 sets of maps the geographer can proceed with his task. 



This task I am assuming is to study environments, to examine the forms 

 and qualities of the Earth's surface, and to recognise, define, and classify 

 the different kinds of natural units into which it can be divided. For these 

 we have not as yet even names. It may seem absurd that there should be 

 this want of terms in a subject which is associated in the minds of most people 

 with a superfluity of names. I have elsewhere suggested the use of the terms 

 major natural region, natural region, district, and locality to represent different 

 grades of geographical units, and have also attempted to map the seventy or 

 eighty major natural regions into which the Earth's surface is divided, and to 

 classify them into about twenty types. These tentative divisions will necessarily 

 become more accurate as research proceeds, and the minor natural regions into 

 which each major natural region should be divided will be definitely recognised, 

 described, and classified. Before this can be done, however, the study of geomor- 

 phology and of plant formations must be carried far beyond the present limits. 



The value of systematic and exhaustive studies of environment such as those 

 I suggest can hardly be exaggerated. Without them all attempts to estimate the 

 significance of the environment must be superficial guesswork. No doubt it is 

 possible to exaggerate the importance of the environmental factor, but it is equally 

 possible to undervalue it. The truly scientific plan is to analyse and to evaluate 

 it. Problems of the history of human development as well as those of the future 

 of human settlements cannot be solved without this. For the biologist, the his- 

 torian, the economist, the statesman this work should be carried out as soon and as 

 thoroughly as is possible in the present state of our knowledge. 



A beginning of systematic geographical studies has also been made at the 

 opposite end of the scale in local geographical monographs. Dr. H. E. Mill, 

 one of the pioneers of geography in this country and one of my most distinguished 

 predecessors in this chair, has given us in his study of south-west Sussex an 

 admirable example of the geographical monograph proper, which takes into 

 account the whole of the geographical factors involved. He has employed 

 quantitative methods as far as these could be applied, and in doing so has 

 made a great step in advance. Quantitative determinations are at least as 

 essential in geographical research as the consideration of the time factor. At 

 Oxford we are continuing Dr. Mill's work. We require our diploma students to 

 select some district shown on a sheet of this map for detailed study by means 

 of map measurements, an examination of statistics and literature which throw 

 light on the geographical conditions, and, above all, by field work in the selected 

 district. Every year we are accumulating more of these district monographs, 

 which ought, in their turn, to be used for compiling regional monographs dealing 

 with the larger natural areas. In recent years excellent examples of such regional 

 monographs have come from France and from Germany. 



