viii 



INTRODUCTION. 



of the subject to the community is duly considered, it 

 will not only be an apology, but will justify the freedom 

 I have used. The means are at hand to provide as 

 much timber as ever can be wanted : all that is required 

 is that they who have the power should have the 

 skill to rear it. When the ease by which such an event 

 can be accomplished is demonstrated, the House of 

 Commons will doubtlessly insist upon the adoption of 

 the necessary arrangements. 



In works of this kind it is necessary to show some 

 practical acquaintance with the subject : thirty years 

 ago I assisted to set out land for plantations, and the 

 crop of trees that are now growing there are of much 

 more value than those in many plantations which were 

 made by different planters at the same time, and are. 

 situated on more favorable soils. Ever since that period 

 I have made woods and forests my particular study. 



More than forty estates, in various parts of the 

 kingdom, have been examined, and reports drawn up 

 of the state of the timber and plantations on them. 

 Those that I have mentioned in the following pages 

 show the general state of things. Some of these estates 

 are under the control of the office of woods and forests,- 

 the Universities, the Courts of Chancery, trustees of 

 charities of various kinds, and others belong to noble- 

 men and gentlemen : none of them show an adherence 

 to the principles of nature by which the trees grew to 

 maturity in the ancient woods and forests, therefore no 

 profit could be expected. The losses sustained by the 

 present system operate in so many ways it is difficult 

 to compute the amount. 



