INTRODUCTION 7 
gardens have been founded, and each Government 
possesses a department of Agriculture, all in their 
several ways doing a good deal to promote the local 
exploitation. It is hardly necessary to emphasise the 
importance of having attached to every district an expert 
systematic botanist. Very slight specific or varietal 
differences between allied plants are often of critical 
significance in matters of exploitation, and it is of funda- 
mental importance, when a given plant is found to be 
adapted to a particular purpose, that we should know 
“how to recognise it with certainty. Thus some years 
ago a certain species of timber was exported to the West 
Indies from British Guiana, and was found to have the 
rare and valuable property of resisting the attacks of 
boring molluscs when used for piles, jetties and similar 
maritime constructions. Apparently no record of the 
species of tree was kept at the time, and it is stated that 
its identity has been lost, and that further consignments 
are unobtainable in consequence. Cases of this kind 
could be multiplied indefinitely, but with proper 
organisation their occurrence should be impossible. 
It seems eminently desirable at the present juncture 
that the whole empire should march together in this 
matter of the development of its resources, and that 
this resolve should find expression in centralised action. 
So far as the subject matter of this book is concerned, 
we seem to need a great ‘‘ Imperial Department for the 
development of the resources of the Empire, Section A, 
Vegetable Products.” Such a department would 
require a great service, and London should play an 
important part in connection with the recruiting and 
early training of the cadets. London has a great ad- 
