2 
INTRODUCTION. 
broad-leaved trees from Europe. Many of these exotics were easily established 
and grew with startling rapidity to large dimensions. Many of them were known 
to be yielders of valuable and durable timber. Soon there began to appear m 
every settled part of the country belts and blocks of these welcome invaders. The 
State commenced the planting of widely extended exotic forests. Local bodies 
and syndicates awoke to share the tree-planting enthusiasm. 
New Zealand will never forget and never wholly neglect her native trees. 
She will carefully preserve them in selected areas. Her gardeners and foresters 
will skilfully reproduce them in limited numbers. But we now know quite 
certainly that in the future our main reliance will be upon trees from other lands. 
Upon these we must depend for covering our waste spaces and for sheltering our 
homes. To these we must look for early and perpetual supplies of timber. Many 
trees from other lands are already with us. Many others await our welcome. 
All need to be better understood, and no mere catalogue will suffice for their 
adequate presentation. 
Two great divisions of the plant world are contributing to our necessity. The 
Coniferae, most of which commence life with several cotyledons, or seed leaves, 
are supplying the softwood yielders. N umbers, stately beauty, and unrivalled 
range of utility will demand for these a separate volume. The Dicotyledones, 
which include the Eucalypts, are filling up an ample list of hardwood species. 
The Eucalypts, though only a single genus, must be given a separate volume. The 
numerous remaining available species in this division will easily fill a third volume. 
There are men in New Zealand competent to write the books. There are 
others well able to bear the cost. A beginning of the task is being made with this 
volume on the Eucalypts. Learning, consecrated wealth, our inherited enthusiasm 
for parks and forests, and the certainty of a world-wide timber famine in the near 
future, should soon make possible the completion of this urgently needed service 
to our country. 
J.H.S. 
