( ii ) 



have to labour. But I had to consider before everything the in- 

 terests of our students, who have quite enough to do without having 

 to write out voluminous notes, which, always much less readable 

 than the worst description of type, very few of them are sufficiently 

 well educated to take down accurately. Hence, as form after form 

 of the draft was received from the press, it was put into the hands 

 of the men, with very great advantage bcnth to the teacher and the 

 taught. Even if the entire book was not available, still the pro- 

 verbial half loaf was better than none at all. I have Mr. Smythies' 

 permission to say that when last year he took my place at the 

 School, he found his work very much facilitated by the 438 pages 

 that were then in print. 



I must now say a few words regarding the plan and scope of 

 ■ the work. 



In the present inchoate condition of Indian forestry, the very 

 imperfect knowledge we possess of the habits and requirements of 

 cur species in their various surroundings, and the impossibility or 

 impracticabiUty of applying any advanced system of culture in the 

 regeneration and treatment of all but an infinitesimal portion of our 

 forests, systems of regeneration and treatment have for us much 

 less importance than the accurate observation of natural phenomena 

 and correct deduction of principles therefrom. For this reason I 

 have laid particular stress on the struggle for existence that is 

 constantly going on between the component individuals of a forest 

 crop, and have made a special study of the conditions which decide 

 .the survival of the fittest. This, it seems to me, is an entirely new 

 departure in the teaching of sylviculture and was forced on me 

 from the moment I found myself placed in the m'dst of a bewilder- 

 ing variety of species and conditions, of which the European 

 forester, with his half dozen or so of species having any general 

 distribution in one and the same forest, his stereotyped seasons and 

 his moist climate, has no conception. In India we want to turn 

 out men who can use their eyes and will constantly endeavour to 

 ascribe tg their true cause or causes whatever comes under their 

 observation. As to systems of regeneration and treatment we can 

 at present rarely do little more than borrow from our confrdres in 

 Europe. It is only when we have studied thoroughly the habits 

 and requirements of our numerous forest species and the peculiari- 

 ties of the Indian climate as it affects the growth of forests that 

 we shall know how and with what modifications to apply those 

 systems in this country and what entirely new methods it will be 

 necessary to introduce. 



