0005 



[Translator's Note: The lengthy preface to this book was written by Andre Thouin, 1747- 

 1824. Thouin was a distinguished French botanist and a pupil of Bernard de Jussieu. At 

 age 17 he succeeded his father as chief gardener at the King's Garden in Paris (now the 

 Jardin des Plantes) and enlarged it considerably. He became a member of the Academy of 

 Sciences and of the Institut de France and professor and administrator of the Museum of 

 Natural History in 1793. A street in Paris is named after him. His preface is dated August 

 18, 1824, barely two months before his death on October 27. 



Thouin's introduction stresses the need for conservation and for the replacement 

 of trees and woodlands to compensate for their destruction by the expanding population 

 in France. It is a commentary on and a practical guide to planting and growing trees and 

 shrubs. Though written in 1 824, it seems remarkably contemporary in its concern for 

 conservation and for the environment. It's notable that careful forest management already 

 had begun in Europe long before it had in the United States.] 



A GUIDE 



TO THE SOWING, PLANTING, AND CULTIVATION OF TREES 



* ** ** a* a* a* ** a* ** a* * 



GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS. 



In countries with a small population, the growth of woodlands occurs naturally 

 and is sufficient for society's needs. This is still the case in Russia, in America, and in 

 several Oceanic islands. It was also true in Gaul at the time of Julius Caesar's conquest. 

 He found wood suitable for construction in the Marseille region, and as his army 

 advanced, impenetrable forests where Druids worshipped peacefully and which provided 

 a secure refuge for those who sought to evade the conqueror's yoke. But this has not been 

 the case for a long time. The many generations that followed consumed wood to such an 

 extent that impenetrable forests no longer are found in France, and the vicinity of 

 Marseille offers nothing more than stones and dry sand. 



Natural growth has been inadequate for a long time. There have been attempts to 

 make up for it by sowing and planting, but today it seems quite certain that the supply of 



