viii. Introduction. 



It is supposed that the propagation of trees and the introduction of 

 new species into Europe began about the fifteenth century, from which 

 time until the present day various works on arboriculture have been 

 published. At first these were necessarily of the most primitive 

 character, both in style, substance, and knowledge ; now they are of the 

 most scientific and reliable kind. At the present day we find that tree 

 planting in Britain, Gei-many, France, and other divisions of the 

 Continent of Europe, has become a very important industry ; and that, 

 viewed in the light of a commercial transaction alone, it ranks amongst 

 the foremost of the rural industries of the political economy of these 

 countries. Perhaps within the last eighty or one hundred years more 

 has been done towards planting by landed proprietors in the old world 

 than in any former period of its history. This has arisen from many 

 causes, the chief of these being a better knowledge of the art in all its 

 detail management, resulting in a surer and more paying return ; the 

 introduction from various parts of the world of quick-growing and 

 valuable species of trees; the general recognition of the now well- 

 established fact that trees exercise a very marked and valuable influence 

 on the climatic and hygienic conditions of a country ; and that so many 

 establishments have been started for the sale of forest trees, thereby 

 causing keen competition, and consequently reasonable prices for plants. 



Of late j'ears, from various causes incidental to the rise and prosperity 

 of the country, the colonies of Australasia have awakened to the 

 necessity for a proper conservation of their forests, and planting of 

 woodlands on the otherwise unwooded portions of the respective pro- 

 vinces, in order to the permanent good and well-being of the country. 

 Victoria and New Zealand have each given birth to Acts of Parliament 

 on the subject, but these have not been properly carried out. Queens- 

 land and New South Wales are now agitating the matter ; but it 

 remained for South Australia to have the honor of being the first 

 Australian colony to establish a system of forestry in her midst. 



The originator of the scheme was Mr. KrichaufE, M.P., who, in the 

 session of 1871, called for a return eliciting information from persons 

 resideiit in the different districts of the colony, in regard to the supply, 

 preservation, and culture of forests. The answers were summarised and 

 prepai-ed by Dr. Schomburgk, the Director of the Botanic Gardens. 



Subsequent to this return, Mr. Kricliauff introduced, and successfully 

 passed, in the House of Assembly, in 1873, " An Act to encourao-e the 

 planting of Forest Trees," which provided for the payment by Govern- 

 ment of two pounds per acre for every acre planted by a landowner in 

 certain districts of the colony, according to certain 4efined conditions. 



