hus it was that he gave an
impulse to planting those 'goodly woods and forests,' the absence of
which, in his own time, he so feelingly laments, and which now crown our
hills and enrich our valleys. Mr. Loudon has followed Evelyn's track.
Tradition--history--poetry--anecdote enliven his pages; the reader soon
feels as if his instructor were a good natured and entertaining friend. He
has also not contented himself with merely recalling old favourites to our
memory, but has introduced to us numerous agreeable foreigners whose
acquaintance we ought to rejoice to make, since by their aid we may hope,
in the course of another half century, to see our woods and plantations
presenting the richness and variety of the American autumns, the trees
which produce those 'lovely tints of scarlet and of gold,' of which
travellers tell us, are all to be obtained at moderate cost in every
nursery; and that they will thrive perfectly in this country Fonthill and
White Knights bear ample testimony.'

Hardly anything can well be added to the above testimony regarding
Evelyn's influence on Arboriculture throughout the British Isles.
Economic conditions have changed entirely since his time, but the spirit
living and breathing in _Sylva_ is still that which is found
influencing many of our great landowners. And it is an influence which
cannot be indicated in any mere enumeration of the number of trees
planted or of acres enclosed as woodlands either for purposes of profit
or of ornament.

Far more is, of course, now known with regard to the physiology and the
natural requirements of our forest trees--e.g. with reference to soil
and situation, demand for light and capacity of enduring shade,
etc.,--than was known in Evelyn's time. Many of his arguments could
easily be shown to be wrong, and many of his recommendations could
equally easily be proved to be inefficacious and inexpedient, just as
old works on Agriculture can no longer be accepted as trustworthy
text-books for the teaching of modern farming; because Vegetable
Physiology forms the true and scientific basis of both the arts relating
to the cultivation of the soil, Agriculture and Forestry; and Vegetable
Physiology is a branch of botanical science which is only of
comparatively recent growth.

Many works on Sylviculture or Forestry, on business principles, have
appeared in England and Scotland within the last fifteen years, but this
new edition of _Sylva_ makes no pretence to belong