IMPROVED BRITISH FORESTRY 327 
in Evelyn’s time its drawbacks were recognised, 
as when he says of the oak, ‘A Timber-tree is a 
Merchant Adventurer, you shall never know what 
he is worth, till he be dead.’ 
Most British woods are unfortunately in such 
a condition that Schemes of Management drawn 
up for them will not at once lead to more pro- 
fitable returns being obtained from the woods 
than hitherto, because in the vast majority of 
cases the capital in timber is not adjusted and 
distributed economically over the woodland area. 
Often, indeed, additional expenditure will have 
to be urged for the filling of blank spaces in thin 
crops, and thinnings will usually have to be re- 
stricted considerably in comparison with what has 
been hitherto customary under the arboricultural 
method of treatment. But these are the results 
of uneconomical management in the past: they 
are not faults inherent in the scientific Working 
Plan. Hence it will often happen that the bene- 
fits of a Working Plan will not become apparent 
till such proper adjustment and distribution of 
the capital in wood has taken place, and till the 
various crops have been brought into such density 
of cover and general economic condition as may 
