,illustration3 ,nat'l ,ass'n ,audubon   
,societies   ,the passenger pigeon1 an  
extinct species4     ,,conservation     
,,series   ,,conservation ,,reader  ,,by
  ,,harold ,w4 ,,fairbanks    ,,author  
,,of ,,home ,,geography1 ,,stories ,,of 
,,our   ,,mother ,,earth1 ,,rocks ,,and 
,,minerals1   ,,the ,,western ,,united  
,,states1   ,,practical ,,physiography1 
,,geography ,,of ,,california1   ,,etc4 
,,illustrated ,,with ,,photographs ,,and
   ,,with ,,reproductions ,,of          
,,paintings   ,,in ,,color              
,,yonkers-,,on-,,hudson1 ,,new ,,york   
,,world ,,book ,,company  #aibj         
,,world ,,book ,,company  ,,the ,,house 
,,of ,,applied ,,knowledge              
,established1 #aije1 by ,caspar ,w4     
,hodgson  ,,yonkers-,,on-,,hudson1 ,,new
 ,,york  #babf ,,prairie ,,avenue1      
,,chicago   ,the need for education in  
the principles of conservation is       
imperative4 ,as ,henry ,fairfield       
,osborn states the matter1 ,we are yet  
far from the point where the momentum of

 conservation is strong enough to arrest
 and roll back the tide of destruction4 
,the movement for the preservation of   
natural resources can succeed only with 
the establishment of an enlightened     
public sentiment on the subject4 ,to    
create and maintain such a sentiment is 
the proper work of the schools4 ,in     
making this ,conservation ,reader       
available for school use1 author and    
publishers have had in mind the great   
and lasting service that such a text    
might render4 ,the publishers believe   
that this little volume and others      
forthcoming in the ,conservation ,series
 will rank high among ,books ,that      
,apply the ,world's ,knowledge to the   
,world's ,needs     ,copyright1 #aibj1  
by ,world ,book ,company   ,copyright in
 ,great ,britain   ,all rights reserved 
,,introduction   ,the wave of enthusiasm
 for the conservation of our national   
resources must reach the children or it 
will expend much of its force uselessly4
  ,it is from the education of the      

children in right ways of looking at    
,nature that everything is to be        
expected in the years to come4 ,if they 
learn to understand the value of the    
things about them1 as well as to        
appreciate their beauties1 the carrying 
on and enlarging of the conservation    
program which is now so well under way  
can be safely left to their care4  ,the 
,west1 although it has already been     
ruthlessly exploited1 has lost less of  
its natural wealth than have the        
longer-settled ,eastern states4  ,in the
 newer parts of our country we can      
reasonably hope to save most of the     
forests and most of the wild life1 and  
pass them on down to our children and   
grandchildren in something of their     
primeval beauty and richness4  ,in the  
,east we can hope to arouse a stronger  
sentiment for preserving what remains of
 the forests as well as for extending   
their areas1 for proper forestation will
 lessen the danger of erosion of the    
soil and of floods1 and will encourage  

the return of the wild creatures that   
are of so much economic importance and  
add so much to the joy of life4  ,a book
 bringing out in a simple and           
interesting manner the principles of    
conservation has long been needed1 for  
there has been little that could be     
placed in the hands of pupils4 ,it is   
with the earnest hope of furnishing     
something which will answer in part the 
present need that this ,conservation    
,reader has been prepared4              
,acknowledgments are due the publishers 
of ,american ,forestry and the ,century 
,magazine for courteous permission to   
reprint poems taken from those          
publications4 ,for their help in        
supplying photographic subjects to      
illustrate the book1 thanks are extended
 to the persons to whom the various     
illustrations are accredited in         
immediate connection with their use in  
the text4 ,the reproductions in color of
 two bird subjects have been secured    
through the friendly cooeperation of    

,mr4 ,t4 ,gilbert ,pearson1 ,secretary  
of the ,national ,association of        
,audubon ,societies4     ,,contents     
,,chapter                               
,,page    #a4 ,,how ,,our ,,first       
,,ancestors ,,lived                     
#a    #b4 ,,how ,,our ,,needs ,,differ  
,,from ,,those ,,of ,,the ,,first ,,men 
#i    #c4 ,,the ,,earth ,,as ,,it ,,was 
,,before ,,the ,,coming ,,of ,,civilized
 ,,men           #ah    #d4 ,,nature',s 
,,unequal ,,distribution ,,of ,,her     
,,gifts                       #be    #e4
 ,,the ,,land ,,of ,,the ,,poor ,,people
                                        
#cb    #f4 ,,what ,,the ,,muddy         
,,rivulet ,,has ,,to ,,say              
#ci    #g4 ,,how ,,far ,,will ,,nature  
,,restore ,,her ,,wasted ,,gifts8       
#dd    #h4 ,,the ,,soil--,,the ,,most   
,,important ,,gift ,,of ,,nature        
#ea    #i4 ,,things ,,of ,,which ,,soil 
,,is ,,made                             
#eg   #aj4 ,,how ,,the ,,soil ,,is      
,,made                                  

#fa   #aa4 ,,how ,,vegetation ,,holds   
,,the ,,soil                            
#fg   #ab4 ,,what ,,happens ,,where     
,,there ,,is ,,no ,,protecting ,,carpet 
,,of ,,vegetation   #gc   #ac4 ,,the    
,,use ,,and ,,care ,,of ,,water         
#ha   #ad4 ,,could ,,we ,,get ,,along   
,,without ,,the ,,trees8                
#hi   #ae4 ,,where ,,has ,,nature       
,,spread ,,the ,,forest8                
#if   #af4 ,,what ,,are ,,the ,,enemies 
,,of ,,the ,,trees8                     
#ajd   #ag4 ,,how ,,the ,,forests ,,are 
,,wasted                                
#aab   #ah4 ,,how ,,the ,,forests       
,,suffer ,,from ,,fires                 
#aai   #ai4 ,,evils ,,that ,,follow     
,,the ,,destruction ,,of ,,the ,,forests
                #abe   #bj4 ,,how ,,our 
,,government ,,is ,,helping ,,to ,,save 
,,the ,,forests               #acj      
#ba4 ,,our ,,forest ,,playgrounds       
#aci   #bb4 ,,what ,,is ,,happening ,,to
 ,,the ,,wild ,,flowers                 
#add   #bc4 ,,nature',s ,,penalty ,,for 

,,interfering ,,with ,,her              
,,arrangements          #aej   #bd4     
,,what ,,shall ,,we ,,do ,,when ,,the   
,,coal1 ,,oil1 ,,and ,,gas ,,are ,,gone8
          #aee   #be4 ,,need ,,for      
,,protection ,,of ,,creatures ,,that    
,,live ,,in ,,the ,,water         #afb  
#bf4 ,,man ,,more ,,destructive ,,than  
,,the ,,other ,,animals                 
#aga   #bg4 ,,what ,,is ,,happening ,,to
 ,,the ,,animals ,,and ,,birds          
#agf   #bh4 ,,the ,,tragedies ,,of      
,,milady',s ,,hat ,,and ,,cape          
#ahc   #bi4 ,,the ,,court ,,of ,,the    
,,animals ,,and ,,birds                 
#ahh   #cj4 ,,the ,,birds ,,our ,,good  
,,friends ,,and ,,pleasant ,,companions 
#aie   #ca4 ,,how ,,to ,,bring ,,the    
,,wild ,,creatures ,,back ,,again       
#bjc       ,,index                      
#bac     ,,conservation ,,reader        
,,chapter ,,one  ,,how ,,our ,,first    
,,ancestors ,,lived    ,before these    
fields were shorn and tilled   ,full to 
the brim our rivers flowed2   ,the      

melody of waters filled   ,the fresh and
 boundless woods2   ,and torrents       
dashed1 and rivulets play'd1   ,the     
fountains spouted in the shade4         
,,william ,,cullen ,,bryant1 quoted in  
,american ,forestry1 ,,xiv4 #ebj   ,the 
earth is our home4 ,it is a great       
treasure house filled with the most     
wonderful things4 ,although people have 
lived on the earth for many thousands of
 years1 they have been very slow in     
learning the secrets of their treasure  
house4 ,this is because early men were  
much like the lower animals4 ,during all
 these years their minds have been      
slowly growing4 ,now we can learn and   
understand many things which our        
ancestors of long ago could not4  ,in   
habits and appearance the first men that
 roamed the earth were little different 
from the other animals except that they 
walked upright4 ,when they had enough to
 eat and a home safe from enemies1 they 
seemed perfectly happy and contented4   
,these early men lived in the same      

wonderful treasure house as we do1 but  
they did not know how to make use of its
 riches4 ,in truth1 their wants were so 
few that they would have had no use for 
the things that now seem so necessary to
 us4 ,the rich fields about them lay    
untilled4 ,the gold1 silver1 copper1 and
 iron in the earth remained             
undiscovered2 and the animals and birds 
that we now use in so many ways then    
served them mainly for food4  ,since    
they had no furry coats to keep them    
warm as do the animals of the cold      
regions1 and had not learned to make    
clothing1 their homes must have been in 
the warm parts of the earth4 ,while they
 were without weapons to defend         
themselves against the lion and tiger1  
yet they were sharp witted and very     
quick in their movements and thus were  
usually able to escape their more       
powerful enemies4  ,although these early
 ancestors of ours seemed so much like  
the other animals1 they were in reality 
very different4 ,they had the same keen 

senses of sight1 hearing1 and smell1 but
 they were more intelligent4  ,when the 
dog and cat have had enough to eat1 they
 lie down perfectly happy and contented4
 ,but when early men had had enough to  
eat1 they were often not satisfied4     
,they had other longings which finally  
led them to make discoveries about the  
uses of things around them and how to   
make their lives more comfortable4  ,the
 little bear cub1 for example1 as it    
grows up learns from its mother just    
what it should do on all occasions4 ,it 
learns what its mother knows and that is
 all4 ,but among the early people of    
whom we are speaking the children not   
only learned all that their parents     
knew1 but a little more4 ,in this way   
each generation of children came to know
 more about the world4  ,thus after many
 years had passed people came to        
understand something of the wonderful   
world in which they lived4 ,they were no
 longer at the mercy of wild animals1   
storms1 heat1 cold1 hunger1 and disease4

  ,the first people1 like the other     
animals1 used only their hands and teeth
 in hunting and in fighting their       
enemies4 ,finally some of the brighter  
ones discovered that a stick or club    
served better than the bare hands4  ,the
 use of flint knives may have been      
brought about through some one cutting  
himself accidentally upon a piece of    
flint sticking out of the ground4 ,if he
 happened to be very bright1 he would at
 once see the value of such a piece of  
stone tied on the end of an arrow or    
club4 ,by such means1 perhaps1          
implements of wood1 bone1 and stone came
 into use4  ,we have discovered the     
sites of many of the villages as well as
 the caves in which the ancient         
inhabitants of the earth lived4 ,the    
implements of bone and stone which we   
have dug up in such places enable us to 
learn a great deal about their lives4   
,there was a time when people did not   
know the use of fire4 ,what a fearful   
thing fire must have seemed to them1 at 

first4 ,their knowledge of it probably  
came from lightning or from hot lava    
flowing from a volcano4 ,after they had 
learned to control fire1 and to make it 
by rubbing two sticks together1 they    
must have felt rich indeed4 ,the        
discovery of fire was one of their      
greatest triumphs4 ,it kept the cold1   
damp cave warm and dry1 even though it  
filled their eyes with smoke4 ,it was a 
means of keeping them safe from the     
dangerous wild beasts when they had to  
sleep out in the open4 ,it was useful in
 cooking their food1 and by and by it   
was to prove valuable in still other    
ways1 when they began to make things as 
well as to find things4  ,they began1 by
 and by1 to build rude shelters1--huts  
and wigwams1 low houses of dried mud1   
and dugouts in the hillside4 ,they      
learned to weave simple coverings out of
 the fibers of certain plants1 or hair  
or wool1 to protect their bodies against
 the cold and the wet4 ,they learned1   
somehow1 to tan the skins of animals1 so

 that they would not first stretch and  
grow slippery4 ,they learned to hold    
things together by sewing1 using sharp  
bones for needles and the sinews of     
animals or fibers of plants for thread4 
,illustration3 ,american ,forestry      
,association   ,the ,laplander of the   
far ,north uses the reindeer to pull his
 sled1 its   flesh for food1 its skin   
for clothing1 and its horns for various 
purposes4  ,how did men discover that   
they could travel on the water8 ,some   
one may at first have made use of a log 
to cross a river and1 afterwards1 have  
tied several logs together1 making a    
raft4 ,when they had learned how to make
 a canoe out of a log1 by burning or    
hewing it out with rude axes1 they could
 then take long journeys on the water to
 new lands4 ,since paddling was very    
tiresome1 some one1 brighter than the   
rest1 probably thought of making a sail 
of bark or skins and so letting the wind
 push the canoe along4  ,we do not know 
how the metals were discovered4 ,perhaps

 fire melted some of the copper in a    
vein of ore4 ,perhaps pure copper was   
found1 for ,nature sometimes leaves it  
in this form4 ,copper could be easily   
hammered into various useful articles1  
but it was too soft for many needs4     
,after tin was discovered1 it was       
learned that by melting it and copper   
together a new and very hard metal1     
known as bronze1 was formed4 ,next1 we  
think1 came the discovery of iron1 which
 has become so important that we could  
not get along without it4 ,think what   
this must have meant for them6 ,to get  
firewood1 to make rude boats and simple 
houses1 to fight wild animals1 now      
became easier4 ,after iron they         
discovered gold and silver1 and began to
 take an interest in making beautiful as
 well as useful things4  ,it is easy to 
see how1 once these new ways of using   
the earth were found1 men could move    
into other regions than the belt where  
it was always warm4 ,they could store up
 food for the winter1 they could build  

warm shelters and get warm clothing1 and
 they could sit by a fire4  ,sometimes  
when the first people were out hunting1 
instead of killing the young animals    
that they caught1 they took them home   
and cared for them4 ,so the little      
creatures became quite tame and grew up 
about the camps4 ,the wild jungle fowls 
were the ancestors of the domestic hens 
which we find so useful4 ,the wild cow  
was tamed in like manner1 and made to   
supply milk in addition to food and     
clothing4 ,the colts of wild horses and 
donkeys were captured and used for      
carrying loads4 ,sheep and goats were   
tamed in the same manner1 and became the
 most valued possessions of some of the 
ancient peoples as they are of some     
peoples today4 ,when they had learned to
 weave the wool of these animals into   
clothing and blankets1 they had taken   
another step upon the long road which   
leads from ancient times down to us4    
,did these early people live entirely   
upon meat8 ,if they had done so1 we     

should never have had the wonderful     
variety of fruits and vegetables that we
 now enjoy so much4 ,we must not suppose
 that ,nature grew these things wild    
just as they are found in our gardens   
today4 ,our ancestors grew them for many
 generations1 gradually improving their 
size and flavor4 ,by selecting the best 
and carefully cultivating them1 we are  
still continuing to make them better4   
,the horse1 donkey1 cow1 and camel      
proved valuable in another way to the   
people who were learning to cultivate   
the ground4 ,when harnessed to a crooked
 and sharpened stick they aided in      
breaking up the ground in which the     
young plants were growing4  ,and so the 
long years passed while the early people
 were discovering and making use of the 
things around them4 ,they came to       
building better and more permanent      
homes1 because they did not have to move
 from place to place in search of food4 
,where there were forests1 wood served  
for their buildings4 ,where there were  

few trees1 stone or mud bricks were     
used4  ,the brighter people learned to  
understand ,nature more quickly than    
those who were dull4 ,each discovery of 
some new way of doing things aided them 
in making others1 and in this way people
 finally came to have all the comforts  
of today4 ,those people less quick to   
learn the secrets of ,nature1 or those  
who lived in countries to which ,nature 
had given little1 gained few comforts   
and even now remain savage4  ,after our 
ancestors had learned to cultivate the  
soil1 to use the minerals and the       
forests1 and had tamed the animals and  
birds1 they were still unsatisfied4     
,they attempted to make the forces of   
,nature work for them4 ,for a long time 
people made flour by crushing grain in a
 mortar4 ,next1 two flat stones were    
used1 one being made to turn upon the   
other by a handle4 ,after that some     
animal1 such as an ox or a horse1 was   
harnessed to larger stones which1 as    
they slowly turned1 ground the grain4   

,this was a great deal of work1 and so  
some one thought of making the water    
tumbling over a ledge of rock grind the 
grain for them4 ,the water was made to  
go over a water wheel4 ,this wheel then 
made the millstones go around4 ,it was a
 great deal easier4    ,illustration3   
,the wild home of early men4   ,h4 ,w4  
,fairbanks  ,where there was no water   
power1 wind was made to do the same     
work4 ,a crude windmill gathered the    
power of the rapidly moving air4 ,after 
wind and water had been forced to serve 
them1 some one who had seen the lid of a
 tea kettle dancing up and down1 thought
 of using steam4 ,then electricity1     
which in the form of jagged lightning   
had seemed so fearful a thing to the    
early people1 was harnessed and made the
 greatest servant of all the forces of  
,nature4  ,the discovery of powder led  
to the making of guns so destructive    
that dozens of birds could be killed at 
one shot4  ,some people became greedy   
and used all these wonderful discoveries

 to rob ,nature4 ,it seemed as if in    
some places all the wild life would be  
destroyed4 ,fires were allowed to burn  
the forest unhindered4 ,the soil was    
made to produce crops until it grew     
poor4  ,if we become selfish and        
indifferent and neglect to care for the 
treasures which ,nature has placed in   
our hands1 very serious things will     
happen to us1 as they have happened to  
other people4 ,how to use the storehouse
 of ,nature without wasting or          
destroying these treasures is what we   
mean by conservation4     ,,chapter     
,,two  ,,how ,,our ,,needs ,,differ     
,,from ,,those ,,of ,,the ,,first ,,men 
,we have seen that the first men1 like  
the other animals1 depended upon the    
food that ,nature supplied them1 and    
when this was lacking they went hungry4 
,when men had learned the use of fire   
they took the first step in making      
,nature serve them better than she did  
the lower animals4 ,today she works for 
us in so many ways that we can hardly   

name them all4  ,after the use of fire  
the next thing that men learned was to  
make better homes1 to tame some of the  
wild animals1 and to raise a part of    
their food supplies1 instead of         
depending entirely upon what they could 
pick up here and there4  ,as the number 
of people increased1 the question of    
securing food became more and more      
important4 ,would it not seem pretty    
hard to have to go out and hunt for your
 breakfast in the woods1 or fields1 or  
along the water8 ,if you were alone you 
might find enough to eat1 but if there  
were thousands of other people doing the
 same thing1 you would probably go      
hungry4 ,for this reason people began to
 cultivate berries1 fruits1 roots1 and  
grains1 and to take better care of their
 herds4  ,living as they did1 in those  
parts of the world where the climate was
 warm1 they usually found an abundance  
of food4 ,but when these places became  
too crowded1 and some of them had to    
move to new regions1 they often found   

less food and a climate not always      
comfortable4  ,in this way people spread
 into the colder and drier parts of the 
earth4 ,the need for things which they  
did not have there sharpened the wits of
 these people4 ,it led to one discovery 
after another4 ,new needs were felt and 
new ways of satisfying them were sought4
 ,they kept finding out more about      
,nature and how she works4 ,after many  
years they knew much more and were also 
far more comfortable than those people  
who continued to live where ,nature     
supplied everything4  ,there are now so 
many more people on the earth than there
 were long ago that to furnish them all 
with food is a very great task4         
,besides1 there are now many people     
engaged in work other than farming1     
hunting1 and fishing4 ,all such people  
have to be provided for by those whose  
business it is to get food4 ,people of  
the great cities are dependent upon     
those in the country for all that they  
eat6 ,we can picture to ourselves the   

suffering that would follow if for only 
one week every one had to get his own   
food4  ,we need many things that the    
first people thought nothing about1     
because their manner of life was so much
 simpler than ours4 ,let us see now what
 they are4  ,we live in tightly closed  
houses1 and so have less trouble in     
keeping warm and dry4 ,but we do not    
always get the supply of fresh air that 
we need4 ,many of us are sickly and weak
 because of this4 ,our ancestors lived  
in the open air1 which is always pure   
and fresh4 ,a supply of pure air1 then1 
is one of the things that we must now   
provide for4  ,people once gave no      
thought to the purity of the water that 
they drank4 ,when there were few people1
 water did not easily become impure4    
,one could drink water wherever one     
found it and there was small risk of    
harm4 ,now in many places there are so  
many thousands of people gathered       
together that they have to take the     
greatest care about drinking water1 in  

order to keep in good health4 ,to get   
pure water it is often necessary to     
bring it many miles from mountainous    
regions where no one lives4  ,clothing  
is another thing that concerns us very  
much4 ,our ancestors were not troubled  
about their clothing4 ,in the warm      
countries they went almost naked4 ,where
 it was cold the skins of animals served
 very well4 ,changes of fashion did not 
disturb them and cause them to throw    
away warm covering4 ,to supply ourselves
 now with clothing we call upon ,nature 
for many things4 ,as she cannot1 without
 our help1 furnish what we need1 we have
 to keep a great number of flocks1 for  
their wool and skins1 and cultivate vast
 fields of cotton and flax4  ,when      
,nature raised in her own way the       
berries1 grains1 and roots that the     
first men ate1 no thought was given to  
the soil in which these things grew4 ,in
 truth1 it was not necessary to pay any 
attention to the soil4 ,nature is very  
careful in her way and never makes the  

soil poor by growing more plants than it
 can support4 ,in her own gardens she   
always renews the foods in the soil     
which the plants require as fast as they
 take them away4  ,the needs of men have
 increased so fast that the soil has    
often been forced to grow more than it  
ought4 ,men have been a long time in    
learning that they cannot keep on       
growing the same crops on the same soil 
year after year without supplying to the
 soil extra foods1 or fertilizers1 as we
 call them4 ,the care of the soil is    
another thing to which we have to give  
attention1 but which did not worry our  
ancestors4  ,nature clothes the earth   
with a carpet of grasses1 bushes1 or    
trees4 ,when the rain falls on the      
ground1 their roots hold the soil so    
firmly that it usually washes away only 
very slowly4 ,when men first began to   
cultivate the soil1 they paid no        
attention to the fact that water washes 
away the loose earth very easily4 ,in   
this loose earth at the top of the      

ground is stored most of the food which 
the plants require4 ,care of the surface
 of the ground is1 then1 another thing  
which we have to keep in mind4  ,men at 
first made shelters for themselves from 
anything that was at hand1 such as bark1
 skins1 rock1 or earth4 ,when they      
learned to make sharp-edged tools1 they 
began to use trees4 ,where it is cold1  
much wood is required to build warm     
houses4 ,as the numbers of men          
increased1 they used greater and greater
 quantities of wood4 ,wood also proved  
to be most useful for many other        
purposes than house building4 ,in order 
to plant larger fields the trees were   
cut down or burned off1 without thought 
of doing any harm4 ,in time trees became
 scarce in many parts of the world and  
men began to realize that care must be  
used or the supply of wood might fail   
them4  ,coal was finally discovered and 
men said1 ,now we have something that   
will last always1 for there must be an  
inexhaustible amount in the earth       

beneath our feet4 ,all that we shall    
have to do is to dig it out4 ,when men  
grew wiser they learned that coal must  
not be used carelessly any more than the
 other gifts of ,nature2 otherwise the  
supply may give out and leave them with 
nothing to take its place4  ,hunting and
 fishing continued to be the business of
 many4 ,they invented destructive       
weapons with which they were able to    
kill such large numbers of wild         
creatures that some kinds disappeared   
entirely4 ,fish1 also1 of which people  
thought the sea and the rivers contained
 a never failing supply1 became scarcer4
 ,they did not know that fish live      
mostly in the shallow waters along      
shores1 and that the great ocean depths 
contain very few4    ,illustration3     
,george ,j4 ,young   ,sierra junipers   
above ,tuolumne ,meadows1 near the      
,yosemite ,valley1   showing how roots  
will force their way in apparently most 
unfavorable   places4  ,thus1 as the    
earth became thickly settled with men   

and their wants increased1 they         
discovered that they had to treat       
,nature in a very different way from    
that of their early ancestors4  ,because
 of our great numbers we have to be     
careful not to use the earth in such a  
way as to lessen its fertility and      
productiveness4 ,where people have been 
careless1 famine has often resulted4    
,poverty and suffering have come to many
 parts of the earth1 as we shall learn  
farther along in this little book4      
,,the ,,city ,,on ,,the ,,plain         
,strange indeed were the sounds ,i heard
       ,one day1 on the side of the     
mountain3   ,hushed was the stream and  
silent the bird1   ,the restless wind   
seemed to hold its breath1   ,and all   
things there were as still as death1    
,save the hoarse-voiced god of the      
mountain4    ,through the tangled       
growth1 with a hurried stride1       ,i 
saw him pass on the mountain1           
,thrusting the briers and bushes aside1 
,crackling the sticks and spurning the  

stones1   ,and talking in loud and angry
 tones       ,on the side of the ancient
 mountain4    ,the tips of his goatlike 
ears were red1       ,though the day was
 cool on the mountain1   ,and they lay  
close-drawn to his horned head2   ,his  
bushy brows o'er his small eyes curled1 
,and he stamped his hoofs1--for all the 
world       ,like ,pan in a rage on the 
mountain4    ,where are my beautiful    
trees1 he cried1       ,that grew on the
 side of the mountain8   ,the stately   
pines that were once my pride1   ,my    
shadowy1 droop-limbed junipers3   ,and  
my dewy1 softly whispering firs1        
',mid their emerald glooms on the       
mountain8    ,they are all ravished     
away1 he said1       ,and torn from the 
arms of the mountain1   ,away from the  
haunts of cooling shade1   ,from the    
cloisters green which flourished here-- 
,my lodging for many a joyous year      
,on the side of the pleasant mountain4  
,the songbird is bereft of its nest1    
,and voiceless now is the mountain4     

,my murmurous bees once took their rest1
   ,at shut of day1 and knew no fear1   
,in the trees whose trunks lie rotting  
here       ,on the side of the ruined   
mountain4    ,man has let in the        
passionate sun       ,to suck the       
life-blood of the mountain1   ,and drink
 up its fountains one by one3   ,and out
 of the immortal freshness made   ,a    
thing of barter1 and sold in trade      
,the sons of the mother mountain4       
,down in the valley ,i see a town1      
,built of his spoils from my mountain-- 
,a jewel torn from a monarch's crown1   
,a grave for the lordly groves of ,pan3 
,and for this1 on the head of vandal    
man1       ,i hurl a curse from the     
mountain4    ,his palpitant streams     
shall all go dry       ,henceforth on   
the side of the mountain1   ,and his    
verdant plains as a desert lie   ,until 
he plants again the forest fold   ,and  
restores to me my kingdom old1       ,as
 in former days on the mountain4        
,long shall the spirit of silence brood 

,on the side of the wasted mountain1    
,e'er out of the sylvan solitude   ,to  
lift the curse from off the plain1      
,the crystal streams pour forth again   
,from the gladdened heart of the        
mountain4  ,,millard ,f4 ,,hudson1 in   
,american ,forestry1 ,,xiv4 #db         
,illustration3 ,pillsbury's ,pictures1  
,inc4   ',where are my beautiful trees1'
 he cried1     ',that grew on the side  
of the mountain8'     ,,chapter ,,three 
,,the ,,earth ,,as ,,it ,,was ,,before  
,,the ,,coming ,,of ,,civilized ,,men   
,for ages1 on the silent forest here1   
,thy beams did fall before the red man  
came   ,to dwell beneath them2 in their 
shade the deer     ,fed1 and feared not 
the arrow's deadly aim4   ,nor tree was 
felled1 in all that world of woods1     
,save by the beaver's tooth1 or winds1  
or rush of floods4  ,,william ,,cullen  
,,bryant1 ,a ,walk at ,sunset   ,the    
earth has not always been as it is now4 
,those parts now possessed by the more  
civilized peoples have been very greatly

 changed4 ,if we could look back and see
 some of the countries as they were long
 ago1 we should hardly know them4 ,in   
certain lands the forests have been cut 
down1 the wild creatures driven away1   
and the soil so carelessly cultivated   
that it has become poor4 ,in other lands
 ,nature's gifts have been carefully    
used2 even the barren deserts have been 
turned into green fields and blooming   
gardens for hundreds of miles4  ,let us 
try to picture to ourselves how our own 
country looked when white men first     
found and explored it4 ,a few hundred   
years ago it was the home of wild       
animals and ,indians only4 ,we have been
 given our freedom in one of the richest
 of ,nature's gardens1 and1 like so many
 children1 have tried to see who could  
gather the most treasures from it4 ,we  
have given little attention to keeping  
up the garden4  ,if you have been in    
some part of the country that is still  
wild and unsettled1 it will help you to 
form a picture of how the entire land   

once looked4 ,if you have been in one of
 our great natural parks1 this will be a
 better help4 ,in these parks everything
 remains just as ,nature made it4 ,there
 the animals1 birds1 and plants are free
 to live their lives unmolested4 ,is it 
not a good thing that our government has
 been wise enough to have large tracts  
of land left in just the condition in   
which the whole country was when our    
ancestors first came8  ,we will think of
 our whole land1 then1 as a great wild  
park1 rich in all kinds of animal and   
plant life4 ,it was not an altogether   
happy family that lived in this park1   
for all were struggling for food1 drink1
 and sunshine4 ,but as none were        
possessed of such deadly weapons as     
those of civilized man1 no one kind of  
animal was able to kill off all of any  
other kind4  ,neither the ,indians in   
their wigwams1 nor the wild animals in  
their lairs1 nor the birds singing in   
the trees1 nor the ducks quacking in the
 marshes dreamed of the change that was 

coming to their homes4 ,they did not    
dream of civilized man with his terrible
 weapons and his many needs1 who was to 
change the whole appearance of the      
country and nearly or quite exterminate 
many of them4  ,the life of the ,indians
 was almost as simple as that of the    
lower animals4 ,their clothing required 
little care4 ,their homes were easily   
made4 ,some of them had learned to      
cultivate the soil1 but they depended   
mainly upon food obtained by hunting1   
and such roots1 berries1 and nuts as the
 women could collect4 ,if we could have 
looked down on our land as the bird     
does1 we should have seen little sign of
 human inhabitants4 ,there were no roads
 or bridges1 and only indistinct trails 
led from one village to another4  ,in   
the far ,southwest there were people    
quite different from those of whom we   
have been speaking4 ,they were called   
the ,pueblo ,indians4 ,in ,mexico there 
were similar people called the ,aztecs4 
,all these ,indians still live in       

permanent stone villages1 as they did a 
thousand years ago4 ,they learned more  
about ,nature than the wandering        
,indians1 but we do not believe they    
would ever become civilized if left to  
themselves4  ,the only animal that the  
,indians had tamed was the wolf4 ,they  
made little use of the wolf-dog except  
in the far ,north1 where it drew their  
sleds over the snow4  ,some of the      
,indians of our country once knew of the
 use of copper1 but it had been         
forgotten when white men first came4    
,all about the ,indians was the same    
world that surrounds us4 ,in truth1 it  
was a richer world in some ways1 for    
since then many of its treasures have   
been lost through greed and waste4  ,the
 rich soil of the valleys was almost    
undisturbed4 ,the forests were uncut    
save for an occasional tree used in     
making a canoe or a rude cabin4 ,the    
forests suffered only at the hands of   
the insects1 storms1 and fires4 ,the    
flowers that covered the ground in      

spring went ungathered4 ,the vast grassy
 prairies were disturbed only by the    
feeding of such animals as the buffalo1 
elk1 deer1 and antelope4  ,a single     
great forest spread over all the        
mountains and valleys of the eastern    
part of our country4 ,now you can travel
 for many miles in the more thickly     
settled portions of this region and see 
not a single tree of the original       
forest4  ,to the west of the forest came
 the prairies and plains4 ,still farther
 west came lofty mountains and desert   
valleys4 ,on these ,western mountains   
were other forests with trees of        
wonderful size4    ,illustration3       
,american ,forestry ,association   ,the 
elk once roamed the valleys4  ,this     
great natural park1 with its long       
seacoasts1 rivers1 lakes1 marshes1 dense
 woods1 and open plains1 was a paradise 
for wild creatures of every description1
 and the ,indian was contented to leave 
it so4  ,grizzly and black bears roamed 
the thickets4 ,elk wandered through the 

mountains and valleys4 ,deer were       
abundant everywhere4 ,the antelope raced
 over the plains1 mountain goats and    
sheep lived among the rocks1 and moose  
filled the ,northern woods4 ,great herds
 of buffalo darkened the surface of the 
plains4 ,when the first railroad was    
built across the plains1 less than fifty
 years ago1 the trains were sometimes   
stopped by herds of buffalo crossing the
 track4  ,most of the songbirds that    
filled the country then are still with  
us1 for they were of little commercial  
value to the hunter4 ,no other land has 
richer bird music than ours4 ,many of   
the birds that are valuable for food    
are1 however1 nearly extinct4 ,now we   
have laws for their protection1 but     
these laws went into effect too late to 
save some species4 ,the passenger pigeon
 is one of our greatest losses4  ,the   
cutting down of the vast forests that   
once covered the ,eastern states1 and   
the cultivation of fields1 has helped to
 drive many of the wild creatures away4 

,we are just beginning to learn how poor
 our country would be if we lost them   
all4 ,refuges are being established in  
many places1 where those birds and      
animals most in danger of extinction may
 live safe from the hunter4  ,the coast 
waters1 lakes1 and streams of our       
country were once alive with fish4 ,the 
,indians made use of them1 but their    
rude traps did not catch enough to      
affect the number seriously4 ,we have   
fished with every kind of trap that the 
brightest fisherman could think of4     
,many important food fishes are now very
 much reduced in numbers4 ,the fur seal 
and sea otter are so nearly gone that   
only the most watchful protection will  
save them from extinction4  ,the land1  
as the ,indian knew it1 was beautiful1  
and was filled with everything that one 
could wish4 ,but the ,indian did not    
know how to use it4 ,he lived a poor    
life1 suffering from cold and hunger4   
,we came into the possession of a land  
unspoiled by its primitive inhabitants4 

,it was just as ,nature made it4 ,in a  
few short years we have almost          
exterminated the ,indian4 ,we have swept
 away a large part of the forests4 ,we  
have almost destroyed many of the       
species of animals and birds4 ,we have  
robbed the soil and injured the flow of 
the rivers4 ,some of this loss we could 
not help1 for when many millions of     
people occupy a land there must be many 
changes4 ,but for the losses that we    
have needlessly and carelessly caused we
 shall sometime be sorry4               
,illustration3 ,pillsbury's ,pictures1  
,inc4   ,such beautiful things in the   
heart of the woods6 ,flowers and ferns  
and   the soft green moss4  ,do you not 
think we are wise in seeking how to take
 better care of this land of ours8  ,,in
 ,,the ,,heart ,,of ,,the ,,woods       
,such beautiful things in the heart of  
the woods6     ,flowers and ferns and   
the soft green moss2   ,such love of the
 birds in the solitudes1     ,where the 
swift winds glance and the treetops     

toss2   ,spaces of silence swept with   
song1     ,which nobody hears but the   
,god above2   ,spaces where myriad      
creatures throng1     ,sunning          
themselves in his guarding love4        
,such safety and peace in the heart of  
the woods6     ,far from the city's dust
 and din1   ,where passion nor hate nor 
man intrudes1     ,nor fashion nor folly
 has entered in4   ,deeper than hunter's
 trail hath gone     ,glimmers the tarn 
where the wild deer drink2   ,and       
fearless and free comes the gentle fawn1
     ,to peep at herself o'er the grassy
 brink4    ,such pledges of love in the 
heart of the woods6     ,for the ,maker 
of all things keeps the feast1   ,and   
over the tiny flowers broods     ,with  
care that for ages has never ceased4    
,if he cares for this1 will he not for  
thee--     ,thee1 wherever thou art     
today8   ,child of an infinite ,father1 
see2     ,and safe in such gentlest     
keeping stay4  ,,margaret ,e4           
,,sangster1 in ,american ,forestry1     

,,xiv     ,,chapter ,,four  ,,nature',s 
,,unequal ,,distribution ,,of ,,her     
,,gifts   ,pure1 fresh air is free to   
all of us1 for1 like an ocean1 it       
surrounds the whole earth4 ,we need pure
 water just as much as we do pure air1  
but it is not always easy to get4 ,a    
large part of the earth is buried       
beneath water so salt that we cannot use
 it4 ,other parts of the earth are so   
dry that if we venture into them we may 
die of thirst4 ,the solid land on which 
we make our homes is not all of the same
 value4 ,thousands of square miles are  
so rocky or so cold or so dry that they 
support no living thing4 ,other         
thousands of miles of the earth have    
been so favored by ,nature that they are
 fairly alive with every sort of        
creature4  ,we say that a country is    
rich in natural resources when it has an
 abundance of those things that men need
 or can make use of for their pleasure  
and comfort4 ,a country is poor when it 
has few of these things4  ,the first men

 were poor1 although they lived in a    
rich part of the earth4 ,they did not   
know how to make use of what lay around 
them4 ,if civilized men are poor now1 it
 is because they have wasted ,nature's  
gifts or because they live in a country 
upon which she has bestowed little4     
,when we say that the far ,north where  
the ,eskimos live is a dreary1 desolate 
region1 we mean that it lacks most of   
those things necessary to make men      
comfortable and happy4 ,when we read of 
the life of the wandering ,arabs in the 
desert of ,arabia1 we think of a country
 to which ,nature has not given its     
share4  ,when we speak of ,spain as     
poor1 we have in mind a country once    
favored by ,nature1 but no longer       
prosperous because its resources have   
been wasted4 ,our own land is now rich  
and prosperous because of the abundance 
of its natural resources4 ,we should    
guard these well lest we meet a fate    
similar to that of the people of ,spain4
    ,illustration3 ,h4 ,w4 ,fairbanks   

,where ,nature has supplied little rain2
 desert sand dunes4  ,if we journey over
 our own land1 we shall discover that   
,nature has been very partial to certain
 parts1 giving them more than they need4
 ,other parts have been left with       
little4 ,we shall also discover what    
wonderful things men are doing to make  
up for the failures of ,nature1 and to  
make habitable many of those places     
which she left uninhabitable4  ,the     
forests of the eastern half of the      
country have been thinned out4 ,west of 
the ,mississippi ,river there are       
thousands of square miles of prairies   
where there are almost no trees4 ,in    
such places the first settlers had      
difficulty in getting firewood1 and had 
to build their houses of earth or stone4
  ,upon the northwest coast there is fog
 and rain and little sunshine4 ,there   
the forests grow so dense that it is    
difficult to travel through them4 ,in   
the deserts of the ,southwest the sun   
shines out of a cloudless sky almost    

every day in the year4 ,the ground      
becomes very dry and the living things  
found there have strange and curious    
habits4  ,in the ,central and ,eastern  
states there is much coal2 and because  
of this1 millions of people have        
gathered there to engage in             
manufacturing4 ,in ,california coal is  
scarce and has to be brought from other 
parts of the earth4  ,the vast prairies 
of the ,mississippi ,valley are covered 
with fields of waving grain1 much of    
which is shipped to distant regions4 ,in
 ,new ,england much of the soil is rocky
 and not enough grain is raised there to
 supply the needs of the population4    
,illustration3 ,u4 ,s4 ,office of ,farm 
,management 7,j4 ,s4 ,cotton7   ,a      
farming scene in the fertile valley of  
the ,missouri ,river4  ,the work that   
people do in different places is        
determined by the way in which ,nature  
has distributed her resources4 ,the     
farmers are mostly found in the valleys 
where the soil is best4 ,cattle are     

pastured on those lands not suited to   
farming4 ,the miners go to the          
mountains1 where they can more easily   
find the minerals they are after4 ,the  
lumberman finds his work where the      
climate favors the growth of forest     
trees4 ,the manufacturer seeks the      
waterfalls1 where there is power to turn
 his mills4  ,now let us try to discover
 in how far we can change ,nature's plan
 and make habitable those places which  
she left uninhabitable4 ,there are some 
things which we cannot do4 ,we cannot   
make the air warmer or colder4 ,we      
cannot cause rain to fall even though   
the fields are parched with drought4 ,we
 cannot stop the rain falling1 and we   
cannot stop the winds blowing4          
,illustration3 ,h4 ,w4 ,fairbanks   ,the
 prickly pear in its desert home4       
,while we cannot stop the water falling 
from the clouds1 we can drain the       
lowlands and marshes and so make them   
fit for the farmer4 ,we can raise great 
dikes or embankments along the rivers   

and so shut out the flood waters4 ,the  
people of ,holland have saved thousands 
of acres from the sea by building dikes 
and pumping out the water from the      
inclosed fields4  ,while we cannot make 
it rain where not enough rain falls1 we 
can do that which is just as good or    
better3 we can carry water by ditches   
and pipes to the land that needs it4    
,much of the soil of the great deserts  
in the southwestern part of our country 
is rich in plant food4 ,all that it     
lacks is water4  ,the ,indian roamed    
over the rich lands of the great delta  
of the ,colorado ,river4 ,he often went 
hungry and thirsty4 ,he did not think of
 taking the water out of the river in a 
ditch and allowing it to flow over and  
wet the rich soil4 ,the white man came  
and turned the river out of its channel 
and spread the water over hundreds of   
square miles of the richest land on the 
earth4 ,now1 where once you would have  
died of thirst and hunger1 there are    
green fields and growing crops as far as

 you can see4    ,illustration3 ,the    
,owens ,river aqueduct1 through which   
water is carried   to ,los ,angeles from
 a source more than two hundred miles   
distant4  ,the city of ,los ,angeles is 
situated in a dry region where there is 
not water enough for the needs of a     
great city4 ,there has now been         
completed a great aqueduct which brings 
a river of water through deserts and    
mountains from the ,sierra ,nevada      
,mountains1 over two hundred miles away4
 ,there is now sufficient water for     
hundreds of thousands of people4  ,when 
it rains too much1 many rivers rise and 
overflow their banks4 ,the farmer's     
crops are destroyed1 his cattle drowned1
 and his buildings washed away4 ,we can 
lessen the danger from these floods1    
which are very bad in such river basins 
as those of the ,ohio and ,mississippi1 
by building reservoirs in the highlands 
where the rivers take their start4 ,if  
when summer comes these rivers are too  
shallow for safe navigation1 the        

reservoirs can be opened and the streams
 supplied with this stored water4  ,the 
lack of trees upon the prairies was once
 a serious matter for the settler4 ,we  
must not think1 however1 that because   
,nature placed no trees on the prairies 
that trees will not grow there4 ,she may
 not have had handy the seed of the kind
 suitable for such dry lands4 ,our      
government has found in the dry regions 
of other countries trees that will grow 
upon our prairies4 ,in their own home   
these trees had become used to a dry    
climate like that of our prairies4      
,steep canons and cliffs of rock once   
kept people1 living on the opposite     
sides of mountain ranges1 from becoming 
acquainted with one another4 ,our       
ancestors were afraid to venture out on 
the boundless oceans with their small1  
frail boats4 ,because of this the       
continent that we live on long remained 
unknown4 ,those who first found it1 the 
ancestors of the present ,indians1 came 
here by accident4 ,storms probably blew 

their boats across the ,north ,pacific  
,ocean1 and thus they found a new home4 
,now railroads enable us to cross the   
deserts in perfect comfort4 ,tunnels    
have been made through the mountains1 so
 that we can go easily from one valley  
to another4 ,boats of giant size carry  
us safely and quickly across the stormy 
oceans4 ,nature did not intend us to fly
 through the air or swim beneath the    
water1 but we are learning so much about
 her laws that we shall soon be almost  
as much at home in the air and the sea  
as the birds and fish are4     ,,chapter
 ,,five  ,,the ,,land ,,of ,,the ,,poor 
,,people    ,my squandered forests1     
hacked and hewed1     ,are gone2 my     
rivers fail2   ,my stricken hillsides1  
stark and nude1     ,stand shivering in 
the gale4   ,down to the sea my teeming 
soil     ,in yellow torrents goes2      
,the guerdon of the farmer's toil       
,with each year lesser grows4  ,,robert 
,m4 ,,reese1 ,the ,spendthrift2 quoted  
in ,american ,forestry1 ,,xiv4 #bfi     

,this is the story of a land of plenty  
that became almost a desert4 ,long ago  
there dwelt in this land a people wise  
in all the things that concerned their  
home4 ,through many hard years of toil  
and struggle they had learned to take   
the very best care of what ,nature had  
given them4 ,although ,nature seemed to 
them to be wasteful1 she punished waste 
in her children4 ,as long as they       
obeyed1 they had comfortable homes1     
fertile fields1 and sleek herds4  ,the  
country of which we are speaking was    
very beautiful4 ,there were lofty       
mountains and broad1 fertile valleys4   
,many streams1 fed by clear1 cool       
springs1 flowed through the land4 ,there
 were also green meadows and deep1 dark 
forests4  ,the forests contained many   
wild animals1 for in the forests the    
animals found both food and protection4 
,birds of every sort abounded1 and their
 music filled the air4 ,trees overhung  
the streams1 shading them from the hot  
sun1 so that they did not dry up in the 

summer4 ,the springs never failed1 for  
the carpet of leaves and decaying       
vegetation underneath the trees of the  
forests held much of the rainwater from 
running away1 so that it sank into the  
ground4 ,instead of making floods in the
 rivers1 it fed the springs gradually   
and steadily through the long1 dry      
summers4  ,the people of this land had  
learned the secrets of the growing      
plants and how these plants could be    
made better by cultivation4 ,they had   
also learned to tame the wild animals   
and make them useful4 ,the farms were   
managed with great care so that they    
never grew poor4 ,the soil never refused
 to grow their crops4 ,the people had   
learned during their earlier years of   
struggle that they must not clear the   
forests from the hillsides1 for1 if they
 did1 the soil would begin to wash away4
 ,they had learned that they must leave 
the forests on the mountains in order to
 save the springs4  ,rain did not always
 come when it was needed for the crops1 

and at other times it rained too much4  
,reservoirs were built to hold the      
surplus water for use in time of        
drought4 ,canals were dug to carry it to
 the fields4  ,the wild animals and     
birds bothered the crops1 and the first 
thought of the people was to kill them4 
,but it was soon discovered that this   
was not wise4 ,those who destroyed the  
wild creatures about their farms began  
to suffer from rats1 mice1 rabbits1 and 
a multitude of little insects that all  
but devoured the crops4  ,it did not    
take these people long to learn that    
,nature was not to be trifled with4 ,if 
they took too much from the earth one   
year1 she made them pay for it the next4
 ,they not only became wise enough to   
take care of every good thing that      
,nature had given them1 but improved    
upon many things that she had left      
unsuited to their use4  ,thus the land  
was kept beautiful and fertile4 ,the    
inhabitants became rich1 and1 instead of
 fearing ,nature as they once did1 they 

came to love the rocks1 the woods1 the  
streams1 and the wild creatures4  ,let  
us now leave this rich and fertile land 
and come back to it after hundreds of   
years have passed4 ,we find a new people
 living there and the country so changed
 that we can hardly believe it is the   
same land4  ,yet it must be the same1   
for there are the very mountains that   
were there long ago4 ,to be sure1 they  
do not look just as they did4 ,when we  
last saw them they were covered with    
forests1 but now they are barren and    
scarred with many gulches4 ,here is the 
same river1 but it also looks different4
 ,while it was once overhung with trees 
and its waters were so clear that we    
could see the fish in the bottom1 it now
 has a broad1 sandy bed2 the trees are  
gone1 and the water is shallow and      
muddy4  ,the new inhabitants of this    
land have a tired and discouraged       
appearance4 ,they have a hard struggle  
to get enough to eat4 ,the soil is      
rocky1 and it takes much labor to raise 

the scanty crops4 ,they never seem able 
to gather all the rocks from the fields1
 for the soil washes away and new ones  
are constantly uncovered4  ,where are   
the forests that once grew here8 ,we    
find in their stead only a few stunted  
trees and bushes4 ,there is little grass
 and almost no flowers1 even in spring4 
,sheep and cattle wander far for their  
forage and do not have the sleek        
appearance they once did4  ,there are   
few wild creatures of any sort1 for     
since there are no woods there are few  
hiding places4 ,neither do we see any   
birds1 and we listen in vain for a song 
or note of any kind4    ,illustration3  
,h4 ,w4 ,fairbanks   ,the women carry   
home the fuel4  ,the houses are made of 
mud or stone and look cold and          
cheerless4 ,the people must suffer from 
cold in winter4 ,the only wood they have
 is small brush which the women and     
children gather upon the far hills and  
bring home in huge bundles upon their   
backs4  ,in the towns of this country   

the only fuel now to be had is charcoal4
 ,this is brought upon the backs of     
burros from the distant mountains1 where
 the few remaining trees give work to   
charcoal burners4 ,the charcoal is      
peddled through the streets and sold in 
tiny quantities at each door4 ,the      
people are too poor to buy much at a    
time and are very careful in its use4   
,it is burned in a metal or earthen dish
 called a brazier1 and a double handful 
may last a family a whole day4  ,rains  
still fall in this country of the ,poor 
,people1 as they did long ago4 ,but the 
waters gather quickly upon the          
unprotected slopes and run off in muddy 
torrents1 taking along some of the soil4
 ,thus each succeeding year there is    
less plant food for the crops4          
,illustration3 ,h4 ,w4 ,fairbanks   ,the
 rocky land of the poor people4  ,how   
did this country1 once rich and         
fruitful1 become so barren8 ,we are sure
 from what we know of ,nature's ways    
that she is not the cause of the        

trouble4 ,through greed and ignorance of
 how to take care of their land the     
present inhabitants have wasted and     
squandered its wealth until it has      
become almost a desert4  ,we can do     
things with ,nature1 and direct many of 
her forces so that they will work for   
our good4 ,we cannot1 however1 as we    
have learned1 change the amount of rain 
that falls1 nor can we make it warmer or
 colder4  ,how1 then1 are these poor    
people to blame for the condition of    
their country8 ,the troubles which      
overtook them came from two things4 ,in 
the first place they did not know how to
 take care of their rich land1 and in   
the second place they were greedy and   
wanted to become wealthy faster than    
they ought4  ,why does the rain1 which  
once made this country fruitful1 now    
wash away the soil and make it barren8  
,it is because in those earlier times   
much of the land was covered with cool  
forests4 ,the rain then fell more gently
 because of the forests4 ,more of it    

soaked into the ground and the springs  
were larger4 ,now the rains are delayed 
by the hot air of the thirsty land      
until1 when they finally do come1 the   
water falls in torrents4 ,such rains or 
cloudbursts1 as we often call them1     
carry away the unprotected soil faster  
than ,nature can renew it4              
,illustration3 ,bailey ,willis   ,the   
shallow1 rock-filled river along whose  
banks the trees have been   destroyed4  
,the strangers in the land1 under whose 
rule it became poor1 thought they knew  
better than ,nature4 ,they did not look 
upon her as the great wise mother of    
them all4 ,soon after these people came 
into possession of the land1 they found 
that in other places there was a demand 
for their grain1 cattle1 and wool4 ,they
 began to increase their fields and     
herds4 ,to do this it was necessary to  
cut down the forests which had stood so 
long4 ,it seemed to them too bad to     
leave valuable land covered only with   
trees4  ,the people began to look       

askance at the birds1 for they thought  
they were eating too much grain4        
,because they did not know what good the
 little creatures were doing1 they      
killed them4 ,since most of the birds   
nested in trees1 they got rid of them   
faster by cutting down the trees4  ,the 
steep hillsides were finally cleared of 
trees and the soil began to wash1 and   
the rocks soon appeared4 ,no plant food 
was given to the soil to replace that   
taken by the growing plants1 and the    
crops soon began to show the effect of  
starvation4 ,the cattle began to suffer 
for lack of food4 ,they ate the grass   
down so closely that much of it was     
killed4  ,the rainwater1 instead of     
feeding the springs1 now ran swiftly    
away4 ,the clear1 steady rivers turned  
to muddy floods during the rainy season4
 ,they swept through the valleys1       
washing away houses and crops4 ,in the  
summer they dried up so that the fish   
died4  ,when these people at last       
discovered their mistake1 they strove by

 hard labor to repair the damage which  
they had done through years of ignorance
 and greed4 ,this was such slow1        
difficult work that the land still      
remains a dreary place in which to live4
 ,it is known as the ,land of the ,poor 
,people4     ,,chapter ,,six  ,,what    
,,the ,,muddy ,,rivulet ,,has ,,to ,,say
   ,would you like to know something    
about what ,i am doing8 ,would you like 
to know why my waters are yellow with   
mud8 ,i am accused of being a noisy1    
roistering fellow1 of robbing people of 
their wealth and of doing all sorts of  
wicked deeds4 ,but1 worst of all1 ,i am 
accused of carrying away the tiny       
particles of soil in which the plants   
find their food and of dropping them in 
the depths of the sea4  ,perhaps1 when  
you really understand my work1 you will 
say that ,i have no evil intentions at  
all4 ,i am only one of ,nature's        
servants4 ,each one of us has a work to 
do4 ,sometimes we have to do things that
 seem to be bad1 but that is because    

some one on the earth has broken        
,nature's laws4  ,nature has many       
servants4 ,to each one of us is given a 
different kind of work4 ,i am the great 
leveler of the land4 ,no mountain is too
 great or too high for me to tear down4 
,i can carry it all away grain by grain 
and leave it in the lowlands or in the  
sea4 ,many mountains ,i have destroyed  
so completely that you would hardly     
believe they ever existed4 ,long before 
there were any animals and men on the   
earth ,i was busy1 and ,i shall be busy 
when they are all gone4  ,the farmer    
believes me his enemy1 but if ,i do     
injure his fields it is because ,i      
cannot help it4 ,the work that has been 
given me to do is the carrying away of  
the loose earth wherever ,i can find it4
 ,if the farmer does not want his       
hillsides made poor1 he should take care
 of them4  ,the farmer does not know    
that he has me to thank for the richest 
of his lands1 those lands where the soil
 is deep and dark1 and filled with plant

 food4 ,i and my brother rivulets have  
been thousands of years in collecting   
the soil which forms the fertile        
lowlands in the valleys through which we
 flow4 ,we all unite to form the mighty 
river which finally ends in the sea4    
,illustration3 ,h4 ,w4 ,fairbanks       
,because some farmer was careless1 a    
rivulet has nearly destroyed this   rich
 valley4  ,upon all the slopes which    
drain toward the river we rivulets are  
at work4 ,other servants of ,nature are 
working here4 ,some of them are making  
the rocks soften and fall apart4 ,others
 are bringing seeds of the grasses and  
trees that they may take root in the    
crumbling rock4 ,it is their business to
 make a carpet of plants over the earth 
and thus stop my work4 ,but wherever the
 slopes are steep we rivulets have our  
way4 ,we pick up and carry away the     
particles of sand and clay so that only 
the bare1 hard rocks remain4  ,when the 
steep slopes become gentle1 and we can  
no longer carry away all the particles  

of crumbled rock1 then the carpet of    
plants spreads over the surface4 ,now   
our waters become clear4 ,we seem like  
different beings4 ,once in a while1 when
 the rains fall very heavily1 some of us
 break through the protecting carpet and
 dig great hollows and gullies into the 
earth4  ,would you like to know how we  
rivulets get rid of the load we carry   
from the mountain slopes8 ,when we are  
muddy and swollen with the heavy rains1 
we turn the river into a flood4 ,the    
river then breaks its banks and spreads 
out over all the lowlands along its     
course4 ,now the river flows more slowly
 and drops a part of the sand and mud   
which we rivulets brought to it4        
,finally1 when the storm is over and the
 river goes back into its channel1 there
 is left on the surface of the valleys a
 layer of earth rich in plant food4 ,we 
brought the river the finest of the rock
 particles1 together with the leaves and
 stems of plants that lay in our way4   
,illustration3 ,h4 ,w4 ,fairbanks   ,the

 rivulets have united to form the broad1
 shallow river loaded with   the soil   
from the farms along its upper course4  
,as year after year we made the river   
overflow1 the soil of the lowlands grew 
deeper and deeper until it became as you
 see it today4 ,now the slopes about the
 head of the river are not so steep as  
they were once4 ,our waters do not run  
away so rapidly and the river seldom    
overflows4 ,thus the farmer can use the 
land for his crops1 which grow so       
luxuriantly that he is envied by his    
less fortunate neighbors who live upon  
the hills4    ,illustration3 ,u4 ,s4    
,office of ,farm ,management   ,the soil
 of this valley has been washed to its  
present location by flood   waters4     
,upon the slopes about the valleys we   
rivulets did not leave so much soil4    
,the farther one goes up the slopes the 
thinner one finds the soil1 until at the
 top the bare rock may appear4  ,but our
 work1 says the muddy rivulet1 was not  
finished with the making of the fertile 

valley lands4 ,we carried a part of our 
load of sand and mud on to the mouth of 
the river4 ,here in the bay into which  
the river empties we began another great
 task4 ,it seemed hopeless at first to  
try to turn the bay into dry land1 but  
year after year we kept at work1 through
 a time so long that ,i have forgotten  
when we began4 ,at last we succeeded in 
bringing so much material to the bay    
that the waters became shallow4 ,then   
the soft mud began to show itself when  
the water was low4 ,at last the water   
was replaced by dry land1 which appeared
 much like the lowlands which we had    
made along the river4  ,now you who     
think we muddy rivulets do only harm see
 what we have accomplished4 ,we have    
built a great delta of the richest land 
that extends away on every hand as level
 as a floor and almost as far as you can
 see4 ,the soil of the delta is hundreds
 of feet deep and the richest to be     
found on the whole earth4 ,it is on such
 river deltas that the first civilized  

men made their homes1 and became rich   
and powerful4  ,now ,i have told you    
what ,nature has appointed the muddy    
rivulets to do4 ,is not the good that we
 do far greater than the harm8 ,when we 
do harm it is because people have not   
learned how1 or have not tried1 to obey 
,nature's laws4 ,if we make people poor1
 it is their own fault4  ,we still find 
much to do upon the earth4 ,nature is   
still making mountains which we have to 
tear down4 ,we are still building deltas
 which will sometime be inhabited by    
rich and prosperous people4 ,we do not  
willingly spoil the lands of the farmers
 on the hills and make them labor hard  
for a living4  ,in those happy lands    
where people understand ,nature we      
rivulets have a different kind of work  
to do4 ,we become pure and clear4 ,we   
furnish a home for the fish1 drink for  
the thirsty flocks1 and a never-failing 
power to turn the mill wheels4 ,our     
waters are of service to every living   
thing4     ,,chapter ,,seven  ,,how     

,,far ,,will ,,nature ,,restore ,,her   
,,wasted ,,gifts8   ,the natural wealth 
of our country is its soil1 water1      
forests1 minerals1 animal and bird life1
 and1 finally1 its climate and scenery4 
,of all these1 climate and scenery are  
the only ones which we can use and enjoy
 as much as we like without any danger  
of their ever failing us4 ,the sun will 
shine through the blue sky1 the winds   
will blow1 and the storms will come just
 the same1 no matter what we may do4    
,did you ever think how long a time it  
has taken to make the wonderful world in
 which we live1 and place upon it the   
mountains and valleys1 lakes and oceans8
 ,did you ever think how long a time it 
has taken to make the rocks and store   
away in them gold1 silver1 copper1 and  
iron8 ,did you ever think how long a    
time it has taken to cover the rocks    
with soil1 and spread over the surface  
the flowers and trees and to stock it   
with uncounted numbers of animals and   
birds8  ,nature usually works very      

slowly1 but she never rests4 ,the earth 
and all things on its surface1 have     
always been changing1 but changing so   
slowly that we do not ordinarily notice 
what is going on4 ,when there is an     
earthquake1 or a slide of rock on a     
mountain side1 or an eruption of a      
volcano1 we are astonished and often    
terrified4  ,stories that have come down
 to us from the distant past tell us    
that the earth looked then much the same
 as it does now4 ,if we could look away 
back to a time long before the first men
 lived1 when even the animals and plants
 were different from those around us1 we
 should discover that the surface of the
 earth was quite different from that of 
today4 ,we should then see mountains and
 hills where now we find valleys1 and   
dry land where now lies the blue ocean4 
,nature has been such a long time making
 the beautiful world in which we live1  
that we ought to treat it with great    
consideration4 ,it is also a wise thing 
for us to be heedful of her requests1   

for1 if we will work with her1 the earth
 with all its treasures will be at our  
command4  ,shall we not now seek to     
learn which of the natural resources of 
our land will never be replaced if we   
squander them8 ,let us also learn which 
may be made good again by ,nature1 if we
 are willing to wait long enough1 as    
well as to assist her in her slow work4 
,each year the growing plants take      
certain substances from the soil4 ,it is
 necessary for us to put back like      
substances if we would keep up the      
fertility of the soil4 ,if we are       
neglectful of this law1 or allow water  
to wash the soil away until only the    
bare rocks remain1 poverty will be our  
lot for many years4  ,nature will1      
however1 if we give her a chance1 renew 
the soil4 ,the rocks will crumble and1  
by and by1 seeds will sprout and tiny   
plants obtain a foothold4 ,but it may   
take a whole lifetime1 or hundreds of   
years1 even1 for a new and fertile soil 
to come again4  ,during the early years 

of placer mining in ,california         
thousands of acres of rich lands in the 
foothills were destroyed4 ,only boulders
 were left4 ,now fifty years have passed
 and a new soil is being formed1 but it 
will be a long time yet before it will  
be as good as it was in the first place4
  ,upon the ,western prairies only grain
 has been raised for so many years that 
in many places the soil will scarcely   
grow a crop worth gathering4 ,many      
farmers have never thought of this1 but 
the wise ones understand that they must 
frequently add plant food to the soil to
 replace that taken by crops4 ,they     
understand also that it is a good thing 
to change the crops grown upon any      
particular field from year to year1     
since different plants take different   
substances from the soil4               
,illustration3 ,h4 ,w4 ,fairbanks   ,the
 miner in his search for gold ruins the 
beautiful valley1 leaving it   a mass of
 boulders4  ,water goes through a       
ceaseless round4 ,it rises from the sea 

and lakes to form the clouds1 falls as  
rain or snow1 and then flows back down  
the slopes to the sea4 ,although we have
 learned that we cannot change the      
quantity of rain that falls in any      
place1 we can influence the way in which
 it runs back to the sea4 ,this in turn 
affects the lives of people4 ,we can    
store water in reservoirs1 and by       
building canals have it to use on the   
land during the summer4 ,we can also    
keep it from flowing back to the sea as 
rapidly as it otherwise would1 by       
leaving uninjured the covering of       
vegetation which has been spread over   
the mountain slopes4 ,the water will run
 from bare rocks and bare soil much more
 quickly than it will from soil that is 
covered with leaf mold and held by plant
 roots4 ,do you not see1 then1 that we  
have almost as much control over water  
and its distribution as though we could 
increase or decrease the rainfall8      
,what about the forests8 ,if we cut them
 down1 will they ever come back8 ,all   

through the eastern part of our country 
and in the mountains of the ,west are   
lands once forested which have been     
cleared and turned into farms4 ,many of 
these farms1 when abandoned1 have in a  
few years been covered with a growth of 
young trees4 ,the scattering trees that 
had been left in the vicinity of the    
clearings furnished the seed4 ,the winds
 and the birds carried the seed to the  
open fields and so the forests began    
again4    ,illustration3 ,h4 ,w4        
,fairbanks   ,but ,nature1 after a lapse
 of fifty years1 has spread a new carpet
 of   soil over the valley4  ,it will be
 hundreds of years before the trees are 
as large and valuable as those of the   
first forest4 ,the big trees of the     
,sierra ,nevada ,mountains are found    
nowhere else in the world1 for they are 
the last of their race4 ,some of these  
trees are more than #djjj years old4    
,they stood here when our forefathers   
were still savages and lived in trees or
 caves4 ,much of the region where these 

trees are found has now been reserved as
 a park4 ,if the lumberman had been     
allowed to get at them1 they would have 
soon been gone forever4                 
,illustration3 ,george ,j4 ,young       
,uncle ,sam has preserved both forests  
and water power4  ,it is far more       
difficult to destroy completely most of 
the species of forest trees than it is  
to destroy the species of animals and   
birds4 ,we can cut down the trees and in
 some cases they will grow again from   
sprouts4 ,many will hide away in remote 
places and furnish seed for new forests4
  ,the animals as well as the plants    
have had a long history4 ,they have had 
a harder struggle than the plants1      
because many of them prey upon one      
another4 ,we often dig up the skeletons 
of strange animals unlike any now       
living4 ,these must have all been killed
 long ago4 ,each species or kind of     
animal now living must have come off    
victorious in the struggle with its     
enemies4  ,does it not seem a heartless 

thing for us1 who call ourselves        
civilized1 to destroy so completely any 
species of animal or plant that not one 
of its kind remains alive8 ,no species  
which we destroy will ever come back    
again1 and its place will always remain 
empty4 ,there are a few predatory       
animals and birds that destroy vast     
numbers of useful ones4 ,we should keep 
these in check by every means in our    
power1 but for our thoughtless          
destruction of the valuable ones the    
world will always be poorer4  ,what of  
the mineral treasures hidden away in the
 earth8 ,will these be replaced when    
once they have all been used up8 ,it    
took ,nature a very long time to make   
coal out of the vegetation which had    
gathered in some ancient swamp4 ,it took
 her fully as long to make the oil and  
gas from the bodies of the little       
organisms that once lived in the sea4   
,the bodies of the little creatures from
 which oil is made are still gathering  
upon the bottom of the sea1 and there   

are many swamps where we find vegetation
 and peat accumulating4 ,but it is a    
long story from these substances to oil 
and coal4 ,i am afraid we should get    
tired of waiting for ,nature to make a  
new supply4  ,gold1 silver1 copper1 and 
other minerals1 so useful to us1 are    
found in very small quantities scattered
 throughout most of the solid rocks of  
the earth4 ,it would be impossible for  
us to obtain these from rocks1 because  
there is so little in any one place4    
,but ,nature has collected a part of    
them in veins in the rocks4 ,we sink    
shafts upon these veins and mine the    
ores4 ,it will be a long time before we 
shall have mined all there is of these  
minerals4 ,because they are so hard to  
get we are not likely to waste them4    
,but it is quite certain that there is a
 limit to the supply of mineral         
treasures1 and equally certain that they
 can be renewed either very1 very       
slowly1 or not at all4 ,shall we cause  
our remote descendants to suffer for our

 carelessness8     ,,chapter ,,eight    
,,the ,,soil--,,the ,,most ,,important  
,,gift ,,of ,,nature   ,an ancient story
 tells us that men were made from the   
dust of the earth4 ,this dust under our 
feet1 which soils our shoes1 this dust  
which the wind sometimes sweeps along in
 blinding clouds1 is indeed precious4   
,the delicate tissues of our bodies are 
made from the food we eat4 ,if it be    
plant food1 it comes directly from the  
soil4 ,if it be meat or eggs or milk1 it
 comes from animals which live upon the 
plants1 that in turn got their          
nourishment from the soil4  ,this soft1 
dark substance which covers the rocky   
skeleton of the earth we call the soil4 
,how common and cheap it looks when it  
is placed by the side of a piece of     
gold6 ,but how much more wonderful it   
would seem if we could know all about   
it4 ,the soil is far more necessary to  
our comfort and prosperity than gold4   
,gold1 silver1 or precious stones cannot
 keep us alive4 ,they are of little     

worth to us compared with food and      
clothing4 ,the soil1 then1 is the real  
wealth of the world4 ,the farmer1 who   
tills the soil1 is the one worker we    
could not possibly do without4 ,all the 
wealth of the world1 all the comforts   
which we have1 all the luxuries brought 
from far corners of the earth1 come in  
the first place from the soil4  ,we do  
not have to journey far over the earth  
to learn that there are many lands where
 the fields are not fruitful1 and yet   
such lands are often rich and           
prosperous4 ,how can this be if the soil
 is so necessary8 ,let us go to ,new    
,england and ask the people living there
 if they can tell us why rich people    
sometimes inhabit lands which do not    
raise enough for them to eat4           
,illustration3 ,h4 ,w4 ,fairbanks       
,these jagged rocks are formed of once  
molten lava4 ,by and by they will       
crumble and be covered with a layer of  
soil4  ,much of ,new ,england is hilly  
and has a poor1 rocky soil4 ,the farmers

 who first settled there toiled hard1   
working early and late1 and yet got few 
of the comforts of life4 ,most of the   
farmers did not know how to improve the 
soil or even to keep it in as good      
condition as it was when they first     
cleared away the forests and began      
cultivating it2 so many left their farms
 to seek a living elsewhere4 ,there are 
now many abandoned farms that are       
growing up to forests again4  ,in spite 
of this poor land1 the ,new ,england    
states form one of the most wealthy and 
prosperous parts of our country4 ,there 
are many great cities containing        
hundreds of thousands of people in this 
territory4 ,the inhabitants enjoy       
luxuries of every kind sent from all    
parts of the world4 ,the farmers of ,new
 ,england certainly do not produce this 
wealth from their rocky soil4 ,where1   
then1 does it come from8  ,industries of
 almost every sort except farming are   
carried on in the cities of ,new        
,england4 ,all these people have to be  

fed and the farms of this region would  
hardly support them even if the soil    
were very productive4 ,so much food is  
needed every day that if the supply were
 cut off for only a short time1 there   
would be great suffering4  ,somewhere   
there must be farmers at work raising   
food supplies for the people of the     
great cities4 ,the many beautiful and   
wonderful things made by the workers in 
the cities must be exchanged with the   
farmers for the real necessities of     
life4  ,somewhere there must be vast    
fertile fields which produce much more  
than their owners require4 ,we will     
journey westward to the prairies of the 
,mississippi ,valley4 ,here for hundreds
 of miles we can see hardly anything but
 fields of waving wheat and corn4 ,here 
are hundreds of granaries and flour     
mills4 ,upon the rivers and lakes there 
are many boats1 and upon the land       
railroads1 all carrying flour and other 
farm products to feed the people of ,new
 ,england4 ,here are great stock ranches

 with thousands of cattle and hogs1     
which1 when fattened upon the grain1 are
 also shipped to ,new ,england to help  
feed the people there4    ,illustration3
 ,a field of wheat on one of the        
,western prairies4  ,we must conclude1  
then1 that if it were not for the vast  
fields with their deep1 rich soil1 where
 the farmers are able to grow much more 
than they need for themselves1 it would 
not be possible for the people of ,new  
,england to become wealthy by working at
 other things than farming4 ,the        
articles which they are making add to   
their own comfort and pleasure as well  
as to that of the farmers1 but they have
 to have the products of the soil to    
keep alive4  ,if the farmers of the     
,mississippi ,valley and of all the     
other valleys that help support the city
 people are careful of their soil and   
keep up its fertility1 our country will 
remain prosperous4 ,but we are sorry to 
say that the farmers have not always    
been careful4 ,many have wanted to make 

more than they should from their lands4 
,the plant food with which ,nature has  
filled the soil has been taken away year
 after year faster than she has been    
able to renew it4 ,many fields do not   
produce the crops they once did4 ,the   
smaller the yield becomes1 the higher   
the prices the produce brings4 ,this    
makes it more difficult for the workers 
in the cities to live comfortably4 ,the 
less abundant the supply of food        
becomes1 the less prosperous is the     
country4  ,there are countries1 such as 
,england1 that have neglected           
agriculture but have1 in spite of this1 
become rich and powerful through        
devoting their time to manufacturing    
articles to sell to other people4 ,but  
those who work in the factories of      
,england have to be fed1 and so they    
must depend upon other countries to     
supply much of their food4 ,if1 for any 
reason1 they were cut off from trade    
with these countries1 not only would    
their manufacturing be ruined1 but they 

would be in danger of starvation4  ,to  
the first men1 who lived entirely upon  
hunting and fishing1 the soil was of    
little consequence4 ,now things are     
different4 ,the wild game has mostly    
gone and we have to depend upon the     
products of the soil4    ,illustration3 
,h4 ,w4 ,fairbanks   ,at the top of the 
bank we see a layer of dark1 rich soil4 
,the people of those lands where the    
climate is unfavorable and the soil poor
 and rocky lack most of the comforts of 
life1 unless they are able to obtain    
them through trade4 ,it does not follow1
 however1 that people living in lands   
favored by ,nature are always happy and 
prosperous4  ,you must remember that    
when the first men increased in numbers 
over the earth1 the soil was fresh from 
the hand of ,nature4 ,although they had 
everything about them that could be     
asked for1 yet they were poor4 ,there   
are men living today on the rich deltas 
that we have learned about who have few 
of the comforts that we have4 ,this is  

because they are lazy and ignorant1 and 
do not make proper use of this valuable 
gift1 the rich soil4  ,we conclude1     
then1 that the soil forms the real      
wealth of the world4 ,all our comforts  
and luxuries come in the first place1 as
 we have seen1 from the soil4 ,the more 
crowded people become upon the earth1   
and the greater the number that engage  
in manufacturing and trade1 the more    
important becomes the care and          
cultivation of the soil4 ,if we do not  
take the best of care of the soil1 there
 may come a time when there will not be 
food enough for us all4     ,,chapter   
,,nine  ,,things ,,of ,,which ,,soil    
,,is ,,made   ,let us take a spadeful of
 soft1 dark earth from the garden and   
see if we can find of what it is made4  
,we will first put the earth in a dish  
of water and stir it thoroughly4 ,we    
notice that the water at once becomes   
muddy and that little particles of a    
dark substance rise to the surface4     
,these particles appear to be pieces of 

stems and leaves4  ,this crumbling      
vegetation is peat1 a substance which   
fills many swamps and1 when cut into    
blocks and dried1 is used for fuel4     
,when scattered through the earth peat  
has a very different use4 ,as the leaves
 and stems of plants die and slowly     
mingle with the earth1 they give it the 
dark color1 which usually extends down  
for two or three feet4 ,as this         
vegetation changes1 or decays1 as we    
usually say1 it furnishes a number of   
substances which supply food to the     
roots of growing plants4 ,one of the    
most important of these is nitrogen1 an 
invisible gas4  ,the decaying vegetation
 which we find mixed with the soil has  
other uses4 ,it holds water and so helps
 to keep the soil moist4 ,it makes the  
soil loose and more easy to cultivate4  
,it absorbs heat from the sun and so    
helps to warm the soil4 ,this vegetable 
matter1 when it is completely decayed1  
we call humus4 ,soils that are rich in  
humus are usually very fertile4  ,we    

will now turn the muddy water into      
another dish1 pour more clear water upon
 the material that remains in the bottom
 of the dish1 and wash it again1        
repeating the work until the water is no
 longer muddied4 ,we will set aside the 
dish containing the muddy water and     
examine what remains in the bottom of   
the dish that once contained the earth  
or soil4 ,this is mostly sand1 but with 
it are rough fragments of rock which can
 be crumbled in the hand4 ,the greater  
number of the little sand grains are    
quartz4 ,some of them are clear like    
glass1 others are reddish4 ,in this     
quartz sand are a few grains of iron    
which the magnet picks out1 and a number
 of scales of yellow mica4  ,after      
standing a few hours the muddy water has
 become clear1 and a deposit of a       
yellowish substance has collected in the
 bottom of the dish4 ,we will carefully 
pour off the water and examine what     
remains4 ,this fine soft mud we call    
clay4 ,as it dries and becomes hard it  

shrinks and cracks1 and thus breaks up  
into little pieces4 ,clay forms a       
greater or lesser part of all soil4     
,clay soil is very sticky when it is    
wet1 as you will be sure to remember if 
you have tried to walk over it4 ,when   
soil is formed largely of clay we speak 
of it as a heavy soil4 ,in the ,west it 
is called adobe and is sometimes used in
 making houses4 ,when adobe soil dries1 
great cracks form in it4 ,these cracks  
are sometimes large enough for small    
animals to fall into4 ,when there is a  
large amount of sand1 we speak of the   
soil as light or sandy4 ,a soil composed
 of sand and clay is sometimes called   
loam4 ,if it is nearly all clay it is a 
clay loam2 if there is much sand it is a
 sandy loam4  ,soils found in low1      
swampy places are sometimes formed      
almost wholly of decaying vegetable     
matter4 ,such soils are known as peat   
soils4 ,they are usually very fertile4  
,we have now learned about three things 
that the soil contains that are bulky   

and easy to discover3 decaying          
vegetation1 sand1 and clay4 ,these are1 
however1 far from being all that compose
 the soil4 ,there are still many other  
things1 some of which are invisible to  
the unaided eye and difficult to find4  
,we will next take the clear water that 
remained after the mud settled4 ,we will
 pour it into a dish1 place the dish    
over a fire1 and let the water boil     
slowly until it has all evaporated4     
,there will remain in the bottom of the 
dish a thin white coating4 ,moisten this
 with a drop of vinegar or other weak   
acid and it will disappear in a mass of 
little bubbles4 ,such behavior teaches  
us that the white substance is probably 
a mixture of lime and soda4 ,besides    
these there are tiny particles of potash
 and phosphorus1 which we cannot        
distinguish by the means we have used4  
,some soils contain a great deal of     
lime1 and because they have been formed 
from limestone1 are called limestone    
soils4 ,plants need a little soda1 but  

when there is much in the soil it will  
kill them4 ,soils rich in soda are known
 as alkali soils4 ,they were formed in  
the bottom of lakes the waters of which 
contained soda4 ,salt is another harmful
 thing found in the soil4 ,you can      
sometimes see faint whitish deposits of 
soda and other salts on the soil in     
flower pots4  ,there is one more thing  
that the soil contains that we must not 
forget1 for it is one of the most       
important of them all4 ,this is a living
 organism so small that we cannot see it
 with the unaided eye4 ,many thousands  
of these organisms are contained in a   
bit of earth such as you could take up  
on the point of a small knife blade4 ,we
 have named them bacteria4  ,plants     
cannot make use of most of the          
substances in the soil without the aid  
of these organisms4 ,the bacteria live  
upon the materials of the soil and      
change them into such form that plants  
can digest them4  ,soil may be supplied 
with all kinds of plant food in just the

 right amount and yet1 if it is packed  
hard and is not watered1 no living thing
 can take root in it and grow4 ,plants  
drink their food and so we must supply  
water4 ,they also require oxygen1 as do 
other living things4 ,for this reason we
 must leave the soil loose1 so that the 
air can enter it and the roots get the  
oxygen which it contains4  ,thus we     
learn how wonderfully the soil is made4 
,we learn that it contains many things  
required by plants4 ,in order that the  
plants may be thrifty1 there must be    
enough but not too much of these        
different things4     ,,chapter ,,ten   
,,how ,,the ,,soil ,,is ,,made   ,the   
substances which we found in the soil   
teach us that it was formed from the    
rocks4 ,if we could take the sand1 clay1
 potash1 soda1 lime1 and iron that we   
found in the soil and put them together 
as ,nature knows how to do1 we should   
have rock again4  ,but if we should take
 a piece of rock and crush it to a fine 
sand1 that would not be soil1 because   

soil cannot be made in that way4 ,it    
takes ,nature many1 many years1 as the  
rocks slowly crumble and decay1 to      
change the materials of which they are  
composed into true soil with its swarms 
of bacteria and its plant food4  ,if we 
should dig down through the soft earth  
under our feet1 we would at last come to
 solid rock4 ,this is the rough and     
jagged crust of the earth on which rests
 the carpet of soil4 ,in the mountains  
where the slopes are steep the rocks    
stick up through the soil4 ,the outer   
parts of this solid rock are1 however1  
always crumbling4 ,little particles1 as 
soon as they become loosened1 either    
fall by their own weight or are washed  
away4 ,some of the rock fragments       
collect upon the gentler slopes and     
finally turn to soil4 ,this soil is not 
rich and it dries out quickly1 because  
it is shallow4 ,the soil in the valleys1
 as we have already learned from the    
muddy rivulet1 is deep and rich4        
,nature is slowly spreading her mantle  

of soil over the earth4 ,in some parts  
of the earth one can travel for hundreds
 of miles and see no rocks4 ,one might  
think that in time ,nature's work would 
be finished4 ,but before the mountains  
in one place have crumbled and been     
washed away1 she raises up new ones     
somewhere else so that the tearing-down 
work begins again4    ,illustration3 ,h4
 ,w4 ,fairbanks   ,little by little the 
great rocks break in pieces and crumble 
finally to   form soil4  ,let us1 in    
imagination1 sit down by the side of a  
rock1 prepared to stay there many years1
 that we may learn just how ,nature     
makes the soil4 ,it will be a long1 long
 time before we can see any change in   
the rock4 ,each bright day the sun warms
 the cold rock and makes it expand a    
very little4 ,at night the rock grows   
cold and shrinks4 ,in this way minute   
crevices are finally formed between the 
grains of the different minerals that   
make up the rock4  ,when it rains1 water
 creeps into the tiny crevices4 ,the    

water carries with it a little carbonic 
acid which the raindrops took from the  
air4 ,this substance aids in dissolving 
some of the rock materials4 ,if the     
nights are very cold1 the water in the  
crevices freezes and opens them a little
 wider1 for ice1 as you know1 takes up a
 little more room than it did when it   
was water4  ,plants also aid in breaking
 the rock4 ,often seeds are dropped by  
the wind1 and the rootlets of some of   
these seeds1 when they sprout1 may find 
a crevice large enough and deep enough  
for them to push their way into the     
rock4 ,in these crevices they find a    
little food and slowly grow larger and  
stronger4 ,by and by some of the roots  
are strong enough to push apart large   
pieces of rock4  ,if the rock which we  
are studying is granite1 we shall after 
a time be able to pick out the different
 minerals of which it is composed4 ,we  
can tell the grains of quartz1 because  
they look glassy and remain very hard4  
,other grains1 which we call feldspar1  

soften and change into clay1 which makes
 the water muddy as it runs over the    
rocks4 ,we see also little scales of    
yellow mica1 sometimes called fool's    
gold1 and a few grains of iron4 ,there  
are tiny quantities of other things     
which we shall not be able to see1 for  
the rainwater dissolves them and carries
 them away4  ,as the rock slowly        
crumbles to sand and clay1 the bacteria 
begin to make their home in it4 ,hardy  
plants1 that are not particular about   
what they grow in1 get a foothold1 and  
when they die their stems and leaves    
decay and mix with the rock particles   
until at last this material begins to   
look like soil4 ,it has become dark in  
color and rich in plant food4 ,then1    
many other plants that require a good   
soil take root there4 ,the rock has at  
last completely disappeared under the   
layer of soil and its carpet of         
vegetation4  ,suppose1 now1 that we dig 
down and find how deep the soil is and  
what lies below it4 ,when we have gone  

down two feet the soil is harder and of 
a lighter color1 for there are fewer    
plant remains in it4 ,this poorer1      
lighter-colored soil we call subsoil4   
,if we dig a little deeper1 we shall    
find pieces of rock in the subsoil4     
,below these we come to soft1 crumbling 
rock and last of all the solid rock4    
,the soil that is found resting on the  
rocks from which it was formed is known 
as residual soil4 ,this name is given to
 such soil1 because it is what remains  
after long years of rock decay during   
which the rains have washed away a part 
of the finer material4  ,what has become
 of the soft earth that the water washed
 away8 ,the muddy rivulet has already   
told us its interesting story4 ,we have 
learned that a part of this earth 7or   
soil7 is borne to the distant ocean4    
,there it is forever lost unless the sea
 bottom should some day become dry land4
 ,stranger things than that have        
happened on this ancient earth of ours4 
,the part of the soil which the water   

carried away to form the rich valley    
lands and deltas is known as alluvial   
soil4    ,illustration3 ,u4 ,s4         
,department of ,agriculture   ,a flood  
plain1 where alluvial soil has been     
deposited by the river4  ,long ago the  
northern part of our country was covered
 with a sheet of ice4 ,this ice crept   
slowly southward1 and as it moved along 
it tore off all the soil and loose rocks
 on the surface of the earth over which 
it passed4 ,when it melted it left them 
spread roughly over the country4 ,such  
material forms glacial soil4 ,it is     
often deep but not very rich4           
,illustration3 ,u4 ,s4 ,geological      
,survey   ,soil brought by a glacier and
 deposited as the ice melted4  ,there is
 another kind of soil1 formed by the    
wind4 ,if you have ever been in a dust  
storm you have seen the fine1 powdery   
substance that settles over everything  
and creeps into the smallest cracks4 ,in
 some countries where there are strong  
winds and not much rain there is little 

vegetation on the surface to hold the   
soil4 ,year after year the winds pick up
 particles of the dusty soil1 whirl them
 high in the air1 and do not let them   
down again until they have been carried 
many miles4 ,in some far-off land where 
the winds go down the dust particles    
settle again to the earth4 ,after a     
long1 long time1 enough dust collects to
 form a thick layer of the richest soil4
 ,this is called aeolian soil1 from the 
word ,a,eolus1 meaning the wind4  ,there
 is one more kind of soil which we ought
 to know about2 that is peat soil4 ,it  
is found in marshy or swampy lowlands   
and is formed largely of plant remains4 
,when lands with such soil are drained1 
they prove very rich4     ,,chapter     
,,eleven  ,,how ,,vegetation ,,holds    
,,the ,,soil    ,illustration3 ,h4 ,w4  
,fairbanks   ,what the rivulets did to  
the hillside pastures where the grass   
was   destroyed4   ,a walk up the       
mountains on a rainy day is not a       
pleasant one4 ,there are mud and water  

under our feet1 and overhead are the    
dripping branches which1 if touched1    
send down a shower of drops4 ,but if we 
keep our eyes open we shall learn       
something which will be of great value  
to us4 ,we shall learn how it is that   
,nature holds the soil on the           
slopes--the wonderful soil which it     
takes her so long a time to make and    
which is the source of all our wealth4  
,our way up the mountains is by a       
winding road4 ,we first pass the        
foothills upon which there are scattered
 oaks4 ,the rain is steadily pouring    
down and rivulets loaded with mud are   
eating little gullies all over the      
slopes4 ,along the roadside1 where they 
have united1 the rivulets form a torrent
 which is making a deep ditch that      
threatens to render the road impassable4
  ,these slopes were once covered with  
grass and the rivulets ran down them    
without doing any harm4 ,but so many    
sheep were pastured here that the grass 
was killed4 ,the roots1 which once      

formed a thick protecting sod1 are now  
decaying4 ,how quickly the rivulets have
 taken advantage of the unprotected     
slopes6  ,the road leads still upward   
until it brings us to where there were  
once pine forests4 ,the lumbermen cut   
off all the trees1 and then fire came   
and burned the decaying vegetation which
 once lay spread over the ground4 ,now  
all that remains is bare earth and      
blackened stumps4  ,what are the        
raindrops doing here8 ,they gather in   
rivulets just as they do on the once    
grassy hillside2 but because there are  
so many roots still remaining in the    
ground they have not done much work4    
,they are not loitering1 however1 and by
 and by1 when the roots have rotted1    
they will seize their chance and begin  
tearing away the soil from the mountain 
side4  ,but this is not the end of the  
road4 ,farther up we come to the        
primeval forests1 where the giant trees 
stand just as they did before men came4 
,here we can see how the slopes are     

protected1 for in making the road the   
workmen cut deep into the hillside4     
,they first removed a layer of pine     
needles and decaying branches4 ,then    
they cut through a layer of soil about  
two feet thick which was completely     
filled with little roots of trees and   
bushes4 ,below this they came to the    
soft subsoil1 which contained only a few
 roots1 and at the bottom they reached  
the solid rock4  ,the layer of roots and
 soil at the top of the bank1 you can   
see from the picture1 now overhangs the 
road1 because the raindrops which beat  
against the bank have washed away all   
that they could reach of the unprotected
 earth at the bottom4 ,how plainly we   
can see the network of roots4 ,what a   
hard task it must be for the water to   
get at the soil in which these roots are
 growing4    ,illustration3 ,h4 ,w4     
,fairbanks   ,the layer of roots holds  
the soil on the mountain side4  ,we will
 now leave the road and1 although it is 
still raining hard1 we will walk a      

distance through the forest and see if  
there is anything more that we can      
learn4 ,we are soon in the deep woods   
where1 perhaps1 no one has ever been    
before4 ,around us are trees of all ages
 and sizes1 from little seedlings to    
great giants six feet through4 ,among   
them are the crumbling stumps of trees  
long dead4 ,their trunks lie on the     
ground1 and many are so soft and rotten 
that we can kick them to pieces with our
 feet4  ,as we walk our feet never touch
 the real earth4 ,it is always on the   
soft1 yielding leaves and crumbling     
branches that we step4 ,these leaves and
 branches form a thick layer completely 
hiding the soil4 ,but the strangest     
thing is that1 although the rain is     
still falling1 we can discover no       
rivulets4 ,what1 then1 becomes of the   
water8 ,the soft1 decaying vegetation on
 which we are walking and the rotting   
stumps and logs act like a great sponge4
 ,as long as this sponge can take up the
 falling drops1 none have a chance to   

run away4 ,if it rains a very long time 
and the sponge becomes saturated1 the   
drops that creep away and finally unite 
in rivulets in the hollows do no harm to
 the soil1 for they cannot get at it4   
,illustration3 ,h4 ,w4 ,fairbanks   ,the
 roots of the tree grip the soil like   
the fingers of a great hand4  ,long     
after the storm has passed1 the earth   
underneath the trees remains wet1 while 
the ground out in the open has become   
dry4 ,a part of the water held by the   
decaying vegetation evaporates4 ,another
 part creeps down through the earth to  
the crevices in the rocks and feeds the 
springs4  ,let us now put aside our     
storm clothes and journey1 in           
imagination1 far away to where it seldom
 rains--to that land which we call the  
desert4 ,here the bare rocks of the     
mountain slopes are burned brown by the 
hot sun4 ,here there is little soil and 
only a few little bushes that somehow   
manage to live4 ,why does not the soil  
gather over the rocks as it does in     

other places8 ,the rocks are surely     
crumbling1 for we can crush some of the 
pieces in our hands4  ,once in a long   
time it rains in this desert4 ,then the 
drops descend furiously4 ,the water     
gathers in rivulets and these turn to   
torrents which sweep down the slopes4   
,they carry away the particles of sand  
and clay which would in time1 if there  
were plant roots to hold them1 turn to  
soil4  ,the winds also help keep the    
desert rocks bare and free of soil4     
,have you ever been in a dust storm or  
have you read of caravans caught in such
 storms in the ,sahara ,desert8 ,the    
fierce wind picks up the particles of   
sand and clay from the bare earth and   
sweeps them along as it does the snow in
 winter1 or it whirls them in clouds    
high in the air4 ,the dust clouds are   
often so dense that they hide the sun   
and all landmarks by which the traveler 
can guide his way4 ,but have any of us  
ever seen the winds pick up much dust   
from the green fields where the         

vegetation protects the surface8        
,illustration3 ,h4 ,w4 ,fairbanks   ,the
 vegetation prevents the wind from      
blowing the sand away1 so that          
wherever the roots obtain a hold there a
 little mound is formed4  ,if we turn   
now to a very wet country1 such as that 
upon our northwest coast1 where often   
nearly eight feet of rain falls in a    
year1 we shall find the vegetation so   
dense that it hides both soil and rocks4
 ,here water can do little in wearing   
away the soil1 even upon the steepest   
slopes1 while the wind cannot get a peep
 at the earth4  ,does it not seem       
strange that where little rain falls the
 earth washes a great deal faster than  
where it rains very heavily8 ,the reason
 is that the more it rains the more     
dense becomes the carpet of vegetation4 
,if we wish to preserve the soil1 we    
must preserve the natural growth on the 
hillsides4     ,,chapter ,,twelve       
,,what ,,happens ,,where ,,there ,,is   
,,no ,,protecting ,,carpet ,,of         

,,vegetation   ,not all of the muddy    
streams are due to the carelessness of  
men4 ,it is the business of some of the 
servants of ,nature1 as we have already 
learned1 to tear down the mountains and 
fill up the hollows in the earth4 ,it is
 the business of others to spread a     
carpet of vegetation over the surface1  
and wherever they have already succeeded
 in their work the waters run clear most
 of the time4  ,where it is dry so much 
of the time that few plants can live1   
the destructive servants have their own 
way when the occasional rains come4     
,where there is a warm sun and frequent 
rains1 a green carpet is spread over all
 the slopes4 ,but when men destroy the  
carpet and take no care of the soil     
underneath1 the raindrops are able to do
 as much damage as they do during the   
cloudbursts in the deserts4  ,the       
,colorado is one of those rivers in the 
basin of which few people live4 ,much of
 its journey is through a land in which 
there is little vegetation4 ,here1 the  

waters from the melting snows upon the  
lofty mountains about the basin and     
those of the occasional heavy rains have
 things their own way4 ,they are always 
yellow with mud4 ,the amount of mud     
which this river carries has been       
measured4 ,you will hardly believe me   
when ,i tell you that it amounts to     
sixty-one million tons every year4 ,this
 is enough to cover #afd square miles   
one foot deep4 ,we might call this the  
cream of the soil from all the slopes of
 the great basin of the ,colorado       
,river4  ,in other parts of our land1   
where abundant rains fall1 the streams  
tell a different story4 ,before men came
 the water of these streams was clear   
throughout the greater part of the year4
 ,it was only when the rains were very  
heavy that the soil washed away1 for the
 vegetation held it well4 ,now the      
gullies on the hillsides and along the  
roads tell us as plainly as though they 
could speak that our country is losing  
wealth here4    ,illustration3 ,h4 ,w4  

,fairbanks   ,the roots of the tree form
 a wonderful network underground from   
which   the water cannot tear the soil4 
,the soil is our most valuable          
possession4 ,the people of many lands   
are suffering from poverty today because
 their forefathers did not take care of 
the soil as they should4 ,in such lands 
the people who live on the mountain     
sides are poor1 because the best of     
their soil has been washed away4 ,those 
who live in the valleys are often poor  
because of the sands and gravels which  
floods have spread over their fertile   
fields4  ,while it is raining1 let us   
fill a bottle from some muddy stream and
 allow it to stand until the water      
settles4 ,in the bottom will then appear
 a layer of fine mud1 or silt as it is  
usually called4 ,how much soil do you   
suppose the rivulets washed from my     
garden and from yours during the last   
severe storm8 ,how much do you suppose  
all the rivulets which make up the      
rivers of your state washed from all the

 gardens and fields during the same     
storm8 ,make a guess and then multiply  
your answer by the number of storms in  
one year and that by fifty years1 and   
you will get a quantity greater than you
 would believe possible4  ,this is the  
way ,nature takes her toll for our      
carelessness4 ,so quietly does she do it
 that often the farmer does not have any
 idea of what is happening4 ,she is like
 a thief that comes and steals his goods
 while he is sleeping4    ,illustration3
 ,bailey ,willis   ,the soil on the     
hillsides of ,china is being washed away
 because of the   thoughtlessness of the
 people4  ,when the farmer finally      
awakes and begins to wonder why his     
crops grow smaller each year1 he has    
already lost the cream of his soil4 ,he 
must at once stop plowing the steep     
hillsides and leaving the ground bare   
for the winter rains to wash it away4   
,to save the slopes he can either       
terrace them or he can sow grass or     
clover1 which will form a sod and hold  

the soil4 ,if the farmer can get peas1  
beans1 alfalfa1 or clover to grow upon  
his wasted lands1 they will make it     
fertile again1 for these plants have the
 wonderful power of taking nitrogen from
 the air and storing it in the soil4    
,illustration3 ,american ,forestry      
,association   ,the farmer who owns this
 land will soon be made poor because of 
his   carelessness in destroying the    
covering of the soil4  ,more earth has  
been washed from the hillsides of our   
country during the last fifty years than
 during thousands of years before white 
people came4 ,the farm lands have been  
injured1 the bays have been made        
shallower1 and many river channels have 
been so filled up that it is more       
difficult to navigate them now than it  
was in the early days4  ,the farmer1 the
 stockman1 the lumberman1 and the miner 
has each been selfishly doing his share 
in the destruction of the soil4 ,each   
one has thought only of how he could    
make the most money in the shortest     

time4 ,it has not occurred to them that 
they are making it difficult for their  
children and grandchildren to live4  ,in
 the ,southern states thousands of acres
 are being gullied by the rains1 and the
 soil destroyed4 ,the floods of spring  
have become worse in late years1 because
 of the destruction of the forest cover 
in the ,appalachian ,mountains4         
,buildings and bridges are frequently   
carried away1 and gravel and boulders   
are washed over the rich bottom lands4  
,in the mountains of far-away ,italy the
 soil is poor1 and so are the people4   
,they have cut down nearly all the trees
 and for hundreds of years the brush and
 grass have been eaten so closely by the
 sheep and goats that few roots remain  
to hold the soil4 ,it does not need to  
rain heavily there to cause the rivers  
to become muddy and swollen4 ,the soil  
which once covered the slopes has been  
carried to the bays1 and now there is   
land where ships floated two thousand   
years ago4    ,illustration3 ,u4 ,s4    

,forest ,service   ,terraces of rock    
built by natives of ,china to aid in    
holding the soil4  ,in ,spain so much of
 the best soil has been lost that the   
people now do not raise enough food to  
support themselves1 and much has to be  
imported from other lands4  ,france is a
 rich country still1 in spite of the    
cutting of so much of the forest and the
 careless pasturing of the mountain     
slopes4 ,the people are industrious and 
hard working and thus make a living in  
spite of the loss which they are        
suffering4  ,the ,montenegrins are among
 the bravest people of ,europe1 but     
their land is barren and they enjoy few 
luxuries4 ,their country consists       
largely of limestone mountains1 from    
which they have been cutting the trees  
for hundreds of years4 ,there is but    
little soil and that is to be found in  
the hollows of the rocks4 ,this soil is 
so precious that every bit1 be it ever  
so small1 is carefully cultivated4  ,in 
the mountains of ,palestine and ,syria  

the people have so completely destroyed 
the trees and grasses which ,nature once
 planted there that it is difficult for 
them to raise enough to live upon4 ,the 
rivers are muddy after every rain1 and  
even the water from the melting snows   
picks up some of the soil and flows away
 with a dirty1 yellow color4  ,when we  
reach ,china and ,korea1 we find that   
there the people have been most severely
 punished for their carelessness4 ,the  
mountain sides have been torn by the    
rains and deeply gullied4 ,the once     
smooth slopes upon which grew trees and 
grasses are now a mass of sharp ridges  
and deep hollows of bare earth4 ,the    
water falling upon these mountains runs 
off in torrents1 carrying even large    
boulders as it does in our ,western     
deserts4 ,here and there the natives    
have built terraces of rock to aid in   
holding the soil1 but many parts of the 
country are almost wholly deserted4 ,the
 waters run off the mountains so quickly
 that they often form vast floods which 

spread over the lower valleys and       
plains4 ,the floods destroy the crops   
and drown the people4  ,eastward of     
,china there is an arm of the ,pacific  
,ocean known as the ,yellow ,sea4 ,why  
do you suppose this name was given to   
the sea8 ,one of the great rivers of    
,china1 the ,yangste-kiang1 empties into
 it4 ,the river rises in the barren     
mountains of which we have just been    
speaking1 and it is continually bringing
 so much mud and sand that a whole sea  
is being filled4 ,long before a ship    
comes within sight of the land the      
waters are seen to be of a muddy1 yellow
 color4  ,in the smaller valleys of     
,korea the natives build dikes along the
 rivers to keep the mountain floods from
 spreading sand and gravel over their   
rice fields4 ,every year they have to   
make the dikes higher as the river beds 
fill up4  ,thus we see that all over the
 world people are suffering because they
 have not obeyed the laws which ,nature 
has made for the protection of the soil4

     ,,chapter ,,thirteen  ,,the ,,use  
,,and ,,care ,,of ,,water   ,the ocean  
is the home of the water4 ,the water    
would always remain in the ocean if it  
could1 but the sun and air are          
continually at work stealing little     
particles away and sending them on long 
journeys4  ,the water particles are so  
small as they rise from the ocean that  
we cannot see them4 ,by and by they     
crowd together and make the clouds that 
float across the sky4 ,as soon as the   
clouds meet colder air1 the little water
 particles rush together and thus become
 larger and larger until they grow so   
heavy that they can no longer float in  
the air1 but must fall4 ,some of them   
fall into the ocean again1 but others   
drop upon the land4  ,the raindrops that
 reach the land have many sorts of      
stories to tell before they again get   
back to the ocean4 ,some of them are at 
once snatched up again and are started  
upon another journey4 ,the thirsty air1 
whether over the ocean or over the land1

 is ever in search of water particles4  
,if the air is very cold1 the clouds    
turn to snow instead of rain4 ,the      
feathery flakes fall slowly through the 
air and form a soft white mantle over   
the earth4 ,those that fall on lofty    
mountains form great banks which may not
 entirely melt and turn to water until  
late in the summer4  ,the raindrops that
 fall where the slopes are steep1 where 
,nature has grown little vegetation1 or 
where men have destroyed the earth      
cover1 have little to detain them and   
are soon on their way back to their     
home4 ,in their hasty journey they do   
much damage to the unprotected soil4    
,if the drops fall upon gentle slopes1  
or where there are marshes and lakes1 or
 upon the forest with its decaying      
vegetation1 or upon deep beds of gravel 
and sand1 they are a long time getting  
back to the ocean4    ,illustration3    
,george ,j4 ,young   ,the cool and shady
 stream before men came and cut the     
trees away so that   the hot sun could  

get at it4  ,we can in no way change the
 amount of rain that falls upon any part
 of the earth4 ,we cannot call up a     
storm when we wish it1 nor can we send  
it away when there has been rain enough4
 ,but there are many ways in which we   
can hasten or delay the return of the   
water to the ocean4 ,nature shows us    
some of these4 ,the spongelike carpet   
underneath the forest holds the water   
until it has had time to soak into the  
earth from which it later emerges as    
springs4 ,nature forms basins on the    
heads of the rivers where a part of the 
water1 instead of immediately flowing   
away1 collects in the form of lakes4    
,from these lakes the water runs away   
slowly instead of in torrential floods4 
,illustration3 ,h4 ,w4 ,fairbanks   ,the
 rotting tree trunks take up the        
rainwater like a sponge4  ,only a few   
places in our country have more rain    
than is really needed4 ,one of these is 
the region about the mouth of the       
,mississippi ,river upon the ,gulf of   

,mexico4 ,another is upon the ,northwest
 coast4 ,throughout the central part of 
the country the summer rains are        
sometimes too light to afford a full    
harvest4 ,the rainfall upon the plains  
and valleys of the ,southwest is so     
small that the only plants that can live
 there are those strange and curious    
forms that have become used to desert   
conditions4 ,the only way in which these
 lands can be made useful to the farmer 
is by means of irrigation4 ,to obtain   
water for irrigation we have either to  
go to the distant mountains and build   
reservoirs to collect the rains which   
fall there and then dig canals to carry 
the water to the desert valleys1 or to  
make use of some river flowing through  
them1 if they are fortunate enough to   
have such a river4 ,can you think of any
 rivers that are used in this way8      
,illustration3 ,brown ,brothers   ,the  
great ,roosevelt ,dam1 in the ,salt     
,river irrigation project1   ,arizona4  
,although water sometimes seems the     

greatest blessing that we have1 yet it  
may prove a curse if it is not looked   
after4 ,if you give the water a chance  
to make gullies in your fields1 you lose
 not only the water but the best of the 
soil also4 ,if you cultivate your fields
 with care1 most of the water will soak 
into the ground4 ,if you are a wise     
farmer you know also that cultivation of
 the soil helps to hold the water1 for  
it cannot escape through loose soil as  
it can through compact soil4 ,thus if   
you know how to handle both the water   
and the soil1 you can1 with only a      
little rain1 accomplish a great deal4   
,illustration3 ,scene below an          
irrigation reservoir near ,richfield1   
,idaho1 showing a field irrigated by    
means of canals and ditches4  ,we can1  
then1 hold or conserve the water1 first1
 by leaving the steeper slopes covered  
with vegetation2 second1 by keeping the 
soil loose2 and1 third1 by building     
reservoirs to hold the floods4 ,we can  
make use of the conserved water by      

carrying it in pipes or ditches to those
 regions where it is needed4 ,we can get
 rid of too much water by draining the  
swamps1 and building dikes to protect   
lowlands from river floods4  ,let us now
 learn something of the different uses  
of water4 ,every one of our homes has   
its water supply4 ,in the city the water
 comes through pipes from some distant  
reservoir4 ,in the country the homes are
 so far apart that it is difficult to   
supply them in this way4 ,the water in  
the streams is often not suitable for   
drinking1 and if there are no springs   
near by it has to be obtained by some   
other means4 ,nearly everywhere in the  
earth under our feet water can be found 
by digging or boring a well4 ,sometimes 
we have to go only a few feet1 at other 
times many hundreds of feet4 ,this water
 in the earth1 or ground water1 is of   
very great importance4 ,it enables us to
 build our homes where we wish4 ,spring 
water is that which finds its way to the
 surface through some tiny crack or     

fissure in the rocks4 ,how delicious is 
the pure1 cold water that comes out of  
the shady hollow in the hills6 ,you can 
form in your minds a picture of the rain
 falling on some distant mountain1 of   
its soaking into the ground and finally 
reaching the little crevices in the     
rocks4 ,along these crevices it may have
 crept for days and perhaps years until 
at last it found an outlet in some      
spring4  ,the great river flows by so   
quietly that we often forget in how many
 ways it is serving us4 ,it serves not  
only those upon its banks but those who 
live hundreds of miles away and who1    
perhaps1 have never seen it4 ,it was the
 first and easiest means of travel used 
by our forefathers before there were any
 roads or railroads through the         
wilderness4 ,it now aids in carrying on 
trade between different regions4 ,if    
large and deep enough1 it permits boats 
from all parts of the world to reach the
 very heart of our country4  ,canals    
might be called artificial rivers4 ,they

 serve an important purpose in nearly   
level countries where ,nature has placed
 no navigable river4 ,although canal    
boats usually move slowly1 yet they can 
carry goods cheaper than railroads can4 
,the ,erie ,canal1 in connection with   
the ,great ,lakes and the ,hudson       
,river1 makes it possible for us to go  
all the way by water from the heart of  
the continent to ,new ,york ,city4 ,the 
,erie ,canal has helped make ,new ,york 
,city the greatest city in our country4 
,the canal across the ,isthmus of       
,panama saves ships a journey of many   
thousand miles around ,south ,america4  
,rivers serve us in yet another way by  
affording water for irrigation4 ,a great
 river like the ,colorado flows through 
regions of many different climates4     
,some rivers become so small in the     
summer that it is necessary to build    
great reservoirs at their headwaters in 
order to insure a supply when the crops 
need it4 ,but in the case of the        
,colorado this is not necessary4 ,the   

headwaters of this river are among lofty
 mountains1 where the melting snows and 
summer showers make the waters of the   
river higher in the early summer than at
 any other season of the year4 ,thus its
 great delta1 the ,colorado ,desert1 has
 become the home of many thousands of   
people4  ,another use which we make of  
rivers is by putting the water to       
turning mill wheels4 ,if you will turn  
to your geographies1 you will find that 
nearly all the great manufacturing      
cities of our country have grown up     
around rapids or waterfalls1 where some 
river tumbles over a ledge of rocks4    
,once we had to build our mills close to
 the rivers to use the water power1 but 
this is no longer necessary4 ,now we    
build electric-power plants by the      
rivers and carry electric energy more   
than a hundred miles to any place where 
we wish to use it4 ,electricity made    
from the distant mountain waterfall will
 do any kind of work for us wherever we 
carry it4 ,thus we see that the river   

works for us in more than one way4      
,after it has created power for our     
factories1 it can be turned on to the   
thirsty fields1 where it will serve us  
equally well4    ,illustration3 ,great  
,western ,power ,company of ,california 
,electric-power plant on north fork of  
the ,feather ,river1 ,california1 for   
generating electricity which is carried 
to distant places4     ,,chapter        
,,fourteen  ,,could ,,we ,,get ,,along  
,,without ,,the ,,trees8   ,we have come
 to depend upon trees to supply so many 
of our wants that we could not possibly 
do without them4 ,we can no more spare  
the trees than ,nature can4 ,she needs  
them in her work of protecting the soil 
on the steep slopes and of holding back 
the raindrops that they may keep the    
springs alive4 ,she needs them to form  
nesting places for the birds1 and she   
needs the dark forest so that the wild  
creatures may find shelter and a home4  
,it would be strange if we did not love 
the trees2 for they are not only useful1

 but add so much to the beauty of our   
homes4 ,our early ancestors may at times
 have made their homes in the trees1 as 
some of the wild people do now4 ,they   
certainly lived among the trees1 for the
 myth stories that they have given us   
speak of the deep1 dark forests and of  
the mysterious people supposed to       
inhabit them4  ,we feel pity for the    
people who live in treeless deserts4    
,the few articles of wood which they    
possess have to be brought a long       
distance at great cost4 ,the ,eskimos of
 the frozen ,north are more helpless    
than the desert people1 for before the  
coming of explorers they had no         
communication with forested regions4    
,they were not wholly without wood1     
however1 for the ocean waves            
occasionally washed pieces upon their   
shores4  ,from the time when the        
earliest man found a club a better      
weapon than his bare fists1 wood has    
been used for an ever-increasing number 
of purposes4 ,wood fires kept the early 

people warm4 ,wood was used in making   
their bows and spears2 bark and pieces  
of branches served to make their rude   
homes4  ,the inner bark of the cedar and
 birch was used by the ,indians in      
weaving baskets and mats4 ,from the     
inner bark of the birch tree they made  
canoes that were so light that they     
could be carried from one stream to     
another4 ,where there were no birch     
trees1 great cedars were cut or burned  
down and made into canoes1 for traveling
 by water was much easier than over     
rocky ground or through dense forests4  
,some tribes of ,indians learned to     
split the cedar logs into rude boards   
which they used in making their houses4 
,the ,indians also learned to boil down 
the sweet sap of the maple until it     
turned to sugar4  ,the eating of nuts   
and fruits furnished by certain kinds of
 trees came as natural to early men as  
it does to the other animals4 ,they     
shared with the birds the wild fruits1  
and divided with the squirrels the many 

kinds of nuts4 ,so highly do the        
,italians still value the wild chestnut 
that this tree1 almost alone of all the 
forest trees that once covered their    
country1 has been saved4  ,the most     
important uses of trees in our country  
are for lumber1 for fuel1 and for the   
edible fruits and nuts which they bear4 
,there are several purposes to which    
logs are put without being sawed into   
lumber1 such as for telegraph poles and 
for piling for the support of great     
buildings and for wharves4 ,long ago    
nearly all our houses were made of logs4
 ,there was then an abundance of clear1 
straight trees but very few sawmills4   
,it was easy to cut the logs1 peel and  
notch them at the ends1 and then lay    
them up in a house of just the size that
 was wanted4 ,from the logs that split  
easily rough boards and shingles were   
made1 as well as chairs and tables4     
,blocks of wood were set in the openings
 cut for windows1 because of the        
scarcity of glass4    ,illustration3 ,h4

 ,w4 ,fairbanks   ,a giant sugar pine in
 a ,national ,forest in the ,sierra     
,nevada   ,mountains4  ,our forefathers 
had all the wood they wanted just for   
the cutting1 and so they warmed their   
houses by means of fireplaces large     
enough to hold great logs4 ,they made of
 wood every tool and household          
convenience for which this substance    
could be used4 ,indeed1 they had more   
wood than they wanted4 ,trees covered so
 much of the land that the ground could 
not be cultivated until they had been   
cut away4 ,now we wish that we had the  
oak1 hickory1 black walnut1 and other   
kinds of trees1 that the pioneers of our
 country burned in order to get them out
 of the way1 for they have become very  
valuable4  ,now1 partly because wood is 
becoming scarce1 and partly because our 
large buildings must be made very strong
 and safe from fire1 we are using other 
materials for them4 ,stone1 brick1 and  
concrete1 when tied together with iron  
beams1 are more suitable material for   

great buildings4 ,our land now contains 
so many people1 and so many new homes   
are needed every year1 that the lumber  
required for houses alone is almost more
 than we can believe4  ,the forests are 
now disappearing so fast that unless we 
use wood more carefully we may have to  
give up our attractive wooden homes and 
cheery fireplaces and live in houses of 
stone or concrete4 ,in many parts of the
 world people have so completely        
destroyed the forests that they have not
 only to make their homes of mud bricks 
or stone1 but have little wood left for 
fuel and other purposes4  ,we cannot    
mention all the purposes to which wood  
is put in our homes and in our          
industries4 ,it would take a whole page 
in this book merely to make a list of   
them4 ,what we ought to remember1       
however1 is that it is not so much the  
amount of wood that we actually use as  
it is the wood that is wasted that is   
likely to bring us to want4 ,two thirds 
of the wood of the trees cut throughout 

our country is wasted in its manufacture
 into lumber and other objects4 ,besides
 this1 as much wood is burned every year
 in needless forest fires as is cut by  
the lumberman4 ,the waste of trees that 
are cut merely for their bark which is  
used in tanning leather is a wrong for  
which ,nature will sometime call us to  
account4  ,in ,switzerland1 where the   
forests are given the care that we      
bestow upon a garden1 not a particle of 
wood is allowed to go to waste4 ,the    
branches are all picked up and saved4   
,even the sawdust is made use of in the 
manufacture of wood alcohol1 which has  
an important use as fuel4  ,there are   
many kinds of trees the sap of which has
 great value4 ,if care is used in       
tapping the trees1 they are not greatly 
injured and will live for years4 ,sap of
 the maple affords delicious maple      
sugar4 ,the sticky sap of the coniferous
 trees is obtained by making a cut in   
the bark4 ,canada balsam1 thus obtained1
 is a clear liquid from a fir tree of   

the same name4 ,it is the finest of all 
the turpentines and is used for many    
purposes in the arts4 ,enormous         
quantities of turpentine are obtained   
from the yellow pines4 ,the pine forests
 of the ,southern states supply nearly  
all our turpentine4 ,from this by a     
process of distillation is obtained     
resin and spirits of turpentine4  ,the  
rubber tree found in the tropical       
forests has become one of the most      
necessary of trees4 ,rubber made from   
the sap of this tree is now used for    
many purposes for which we have been    
able to find no other material4  ,we    
sometimes forget how valuable trees are 
for various substances used in medicine4
 ,our lives may depend on having such   
medicines within reach4 ,quinine made   
from the bark of the cinchona tree is   
perhaps the most important4 ,camphor gum
 is furnished by another tropical tree4 
,the acacia supplies gum arabic4 ,the   
poison1 strychna1 comes from a nut tree4
 ,the eucalyptus1 birch1 and other trees

 too numerous to name1 supply various   
other medicinal products4               
,illustration3 ,arthur ,d4 ,little1     
,inc41 ,the ,little ,journal   ,when    
this beautiful long-leaf pine tree is   
cut we manage to save only   about one  
third of it4 ,from the wasted two thirds
 of this and other pine   trees we could
 obtain many thousand tons of paper1    
great quantities of   resin1 and other  
products4  ,while we are trying to find 
other substances to replace wood as far 
as is possible1 so as to keep the       
forests from being used up1 we are      
requiring more and more for the         
manufacture of paper4 ,the spruce       
forests are fast disappearing in pulp   
mills1 from which the blocks of wood    
emerge as sheets of paper4 ,perhaps     
after a time we shall find something to 
take the place of wood in the           
manufacture of paper4  ,the one use to  
which we put the trees1 which does not  
destroy or injure them in the slightest1
 is growing them for their fruit and    

nuts4 ,we take great care of such trees1
 selecting the best varieties and       
cultivating1 trimming1 and spraying them
 in order to keep them healthy and      
strong4 ,the better the care that we    
give them1 the finer and larger become  
their fruits4  ,trees are valuable to us
 in so many ways and appeal so deeply to
 our love of the beautiful things in    
,nature that we should all be interested
 in them4 ,if we give the trees a       
chance1 they will do their share toward 
making our lives comfortable and happy4 
,,chapter ,,fifteen  ,,where ,,has      
,,nature ,,spread ,,the ,,forest8   ,our
 forefathers who came across the water  
to ,america found forests stretching    
away from the water's edge into an      
unknown wilderness4 ,the settlements    
spread very slowly into the pathless    
woods1 for there lurked danger from the 
,indians and wild animals4 ,the         
,allegheny ,mountains also held the     
settlers back for a long time4  ,the    
pioneers found the country1 as far as   

the ,ohio ,river and beyond1 still      
forest covered2 but by and by openings  
or prairies began to appear4 ,by the    
time they had crossed the ,great ,river 
the forests had been left behind1 except
 for fringes of trees upon the lowlands 
along the streams4  ,from this point    
westward the open prairies stretched    
away to the horizon4 ,antelope1 deer1   
and buffalo were often seen feeding on  
the rich grasses4 ,the adventurous      
pioneers pushed on across the fertile   
prairies1 coming at last to a drier and 
higher region which we have called the  
,great ,plains4 ,on these plains the    
,rocky ,mountains came in sight4 ,these 
mountains gradually became higher as the
 travelers approached1 until they rose  
before them like a mighty wall4 ,here   
they again met vast forests1 which      
covered all the higher slopes4  ,beyond 
the ,rocky ,mountains they crossed a    
broad land of deserts where little rain 
fell4 ,the vegetation was so scanty and 
springs so far apart that many of their 

horses and cattle died4 ,the dreary and 
barren deserts were followed by another 
lofty range of mountains4 ,entering     
these mountains1 the pioneers came upon 
the most magnificent forest that had yet
 been seen upon our continent4 ,after   
traveling for some days over rugged     
mountains1 they at last emerged from the
 forests upon the ,great ,valley of     
,california4    ,illustration3 ,a forest
 of great trees in the ,sierras1 near   
the ,yosemite   ,valley4  ,scattered    
over portions of the valley were oak    
trees1 giving it the appearance of a    
park4 ,when the valley had been passed  
the pioneers climbed the last mountain  
range1 and from this range looked down  
upon the waters of the ,pacific ,ocean4 
,here they found forests again1 some of 
the trees being of enormous size4 ,thus 
we see that the eastern part of the     
continent was nearly all forested1 but  
that in the ,west the forests grew      
chiefly on the mountains1 because there 
is not enough rainfall upon the plains  

and in the valleys4  ,the trees that    
make up most of the forests of our      
country are of two very different kinds4
 ,there is one kind that has narrow or  
needle-like leaves which they keep      
through the winter4 ,these we commonly  
call narrow-leaved trees or conifers4   
,the most important of the narrow-leaved
 trees are the pines1 firs1 spruces1 and
 hemlock4 ,such trees form the forests  
of the greater part of the highlands of 
the northern and northeastern parts of  
our country4 ,the pines also find a     
congenial home upon the lowlands of the 
,southern states4 ,trees of the second  
kind have broad leaves1 and usually     
their wood is rather hard4 ,hence we    
call them broad-leaved or hardwood      
trees4 ,since most of these trees drop  
their leaves in winter1 we often speak  
of them as deciduous trees4 ,by far the 
larger part of the lands of the ,eastern
 states that are now cultivated were    
found by the first settlers to be       
covered with hardwood trees4 ,we are    

familiar with many of the hardwoods     
through their use in furniture and      
various household utensils and farm     
implements4 ,the most important         
varieties are the walnut1 hickory1      
chestnut1 beech1 maple1 ash1 oak1 elm1  
locust1 and linden4  ,there are not many
 broad-leaved trees in the forests of   
the ,west4 ,the children of the ,west   
miss all the nut trees that the boys and
 girls of the ,east enjoy4 ,but to make 
up for this lack there are some in the  
,west that are not found in the ,east4  
,the sugar pine1 the pinon pine1 and the
 digger pine afford delicious nuts which
 once formed an important article of    
food for the ,indians4 ,in the ,west the
 broad-leaved trees do not form dense   
forests4 ,they are scattered among the  
pines on the lower mountain slopes1 in  
the valleys1 and along the streams4 ,the
 most important of these trees are oaks 
of many kinds1 soft maple1 alder1       
cottonwood1 sycamore1 and laurel4  ,the 
dense forests of the ,western mountains 

consist almost wholly of narrow-leaved  
trees4 ,among them are the pines and    
firs of different kinds1 spruce1 cedar1 
redwood1 and big trees4 ,the redwoods   
and big trees are both known as         
sequoias2 they grow to an immense size  
upon the mountains of ,california4 ,the 
coniferous forests of which these trees 
form a part are among the most wonderful
 and interesting ones on the earth4  ,if
 you will take a forest map of our      
country and place it beside a rainfall  
map1 you will quickly discover why the  
forests are found where they are4 ,you  
will see that the forests are found     
where there is more than thirty inches  
of rain each year1 except in the far    
,north1 where it is very cold4 ,you can 
say1 then1 that the climate is the chief
 thing that determines where the forests
 shall grow4  ,if the climate is warm   
and the rainfall heavy1 the forest      
vegetation is so dense and rank that you
 can hardly travel through it4 ,such    
forests are found in the tropical parts 

of the country4 ,where little rain falls
 there is scanty vegetation1 as upon the
 deserts of the ,southwest4 ,but where  
it is very cold1 even if there is much  
snow or rain1 you will find no trees4   
,illustration3 ,george ,j4 ,young       
,mountain hemlocks1 which ,john ,muir   
considered the most beautiful of all    
conifers4  ,we must not forget that     
there is another thing that affects the 
growth of trees1 and that is the soil4  
,pines like a sandy soil1 while most    
other trees do not4 ,certain cedars and 
cypresses like swampy places where no   
other trees will grow4 ,many beautiful  
meadows and prairies have no trees1     
because the soil is not well drained4   
,it is very easy to understand why trees
 cannot grow where it is dry1 but how   
shall we learn of the effect of cold    
upon them8 ,shall we have to take a     
journey of thousands of miles into the  
far ,north1 until we finally come to the
 land called the ,barren ,lands or      
tundras1 where the trees become stunted 

and at last disappear--a land where they
 cannot longer fight against the cold   
and live8  ,fortunately such a long     
journey is not necessary4 ,all we have  
to do is to climb a great mountain      
range1 like the ,sierra ,nevadas1 to    
pass through all the different climates 
which we would experience on a long     
journey to the arctic regions4  ,it is  
only a few miles from the hot ,san      
,joaquin ,valley1 at the base of the    
,sierras1 where it is so dry that       
irrigation is necessary1 to the summit  
of the range1 where the winter climate  
is as cold as it is in the arctic       
regions4  ,in going up the mountains we 
first come to the foothills1 where there
 is a little more rain than in the      
valley4 ,here we find oak trees growing4
 ,farther up there is still more rain   
and we come to the pines4 ,soon we reach
 the most wonderful coniferous forest in
 all the world4 ,here not only is there 
a great variety of trees1 but because of
 the favorable climate they grow to a   

great size4 ,as we approach the summit  
of the mountains the trees become       
smaller1 and at an elevation of about   
two miles they shrink to the size of    
little bushes and finally disappear4    
,they can no longer stand the fierce    
winds and cold storms of this arctic    
region4    ,illustration3 ,george ,j4   
,young   ,east ,vidette1 ,king's ,river 
,country1 ,california1 showing how1 as  
we   approach the summit of the         
mountains1 the trees become smaller4    
,we have learned now that the trees do  
not grow haphazard over our country1 but
 that the rain1 the temperature1 and the
 soil determine where they can live4    
,within the heart of the forest the     
trees will come again if we cut them    
down1 but upon its borders1 where the   
air is drier1 it is more difficult for  
them to spring up anew4 ,if we cut them 
down carelessly and allow fires to burn 
over the surface1 and the water to wash 
away the soil1 they may never come back4
  ,it is important1 then1 that we       

understand why trees grow in some places
 and not in others1 in order that we may
 know how to take care of them4         
,,chapter ,,sixteen  ,,what ,,are ,,the 
,,enemies ,,of ,,the ,,trees8   ,every  
living thing is engaged in a struggle   
for air to breathe and for something to 
eat4 ,those that make their homes on the
 land also have to struggle for water4  
,the stronger rob the weaker2 for1 among
 all of them except man1 might always   
makes right4 ,men are learning that     
unselfishness is the better way1        
although they do not always practice it4
  ,in this struggle the animals have an 
advantage over the plants1 for if food  
fails in one place they can move to     
another4 ,among the animals also the    
mother tries to protect her children2   
and1 in the case of some1--the wolf1 for
 example1--a number will hunt together  
for the common good4  ,it is quite      
different with the plants4 ,they must   
grow where the seeds take root4 ,if     
there is little sunlight or water or the

 soil is poor1 they must make the best  
of what they have4  ,the plants have to 
struggle not only with such enemies as  
insects1 winds1 fire1 and browsing      
animals1 but with each other1 for every 
tree is the real or possible enemy of   
every other tree4 ,brother seeds        
sprouting under the same parent maple   
struggle with each other for the food   
and moisture in the soil and for the    
best place in the sunlight4 ,the one    
that gets the most of these will grow   
the faster and choke some of its weaker 
brothers4    ,illustration3 ,edward ,s4 
,curtis   ,trees that struggle with cold
 and storm4  ,in yonder grove of pines  
there are trees of all ages and sizes4  
,the older ones have much the advantage 
and take a part of the food and sunlight
 that the smaller ones require4 ,how the
 little ones stretch up and grow tall   
and slender in their attempt to get the 
sunlight6 ,but in spite of all their    
efforts some of them must die4  ,some   
kinds of trees grow faster than others4 

,where a number are springing up        
together1 the slow-growing ones will    
stand less chance of ever becoming great
 trees4 ,in this way the yellow pine    
sometimes chokes out the cedar1 and the 
fir gets the advantage of the sugar     
pine4  ,the bright1 warm sun is the     
enemy of the tree that loves the shady  
hillsides4 ,the swamp is the enemy of   
the tree that must have loose1 dry soil4
 ,the cold is the enemy of the tree that
 is used to a hot climate4 ,is it not   
strange that what is good for one tree  
is an enemy of another8  ,many kinds of 
trees have their own particular insect  
enemies which attack them and no others4
 ,some of these insects live upon the   
leaves1 others eat the sapwood under the
 bark1 while a few attack the roots4    
,certain insects burrow in and eat the  
heartwood4 ,although this does not      
always kill the tree1 it weakens it and 
makes the wood unfit for use4 ,the cedar
 and the hickory are among the trees    
injured in this manner4  ,the foliage of

 the broad-leaved trees is the delight  
of many insects4 ,they sometimes eat the
 leaves so closely that the tree is     
killed2 for the trees breathe through   
their leaves and can no more do without 
them than they can without their roots4 
,the gypsy moth1 which did no great harm
 in its ,european home1 was brought to  
this country and accidentally set free4 
,it at once began to attack the leaves  
of the elm1 that beautiful tree of the  
old ,new ,england villages4 ,now it is  
destroying other trees and1             
notwithstanding the fight which we have 
made against it1 we have not yet been   
able to exterminate it4                 
,illustration3 ,american ,forestry      
,association   ,insects are destroying  
the trees of this forest4  ,the chestnut
 tree1 which every ,eastern child loves 
for its nuts1 is now being destroyed by 
a fungus which may kill every one of    
these trees in the country4  ,the       
white-pine blister1 also brought over   
from ,europe1 is now threatening all the

 white pines and the related trees of   
our country4 ,this disease has already  
such a start in the ,east that we may   
not be able to stop it4  ,the dainty    
mistletoe1 about which there are so many
 pretty ,christmas legends1 is a deadly 
enemy of many trees4 ,the seed of this  
fungus is carried1 by the birds or by   
the wind1 from one tree to another4     
,when it sprouts1 tiny roots go down    
through the bark to the sap1 on which it
 feeds until the tree is killed4  ,all  
our fruit trees have their deadly       
enemies which cause a loss of many      
millions of dollars every year4 ,among  
the worst of these is the ,san ,jose    
scale1 which was carelessly brought into
 the country from ,china4               
,illustration3 ,pillsbury's ,pictures1  
,inc4  ,a dwarf white pine which has    
found a foothold in the rocks on a      
mountain top4  ,the pear blight has     
destroyed whole orchards of pear trees  
in the ,western states4 ,the citrus     
canker is now threatening the orange    

orchards of the ,southern states4  ,for 
years we have been searching over the   
world for new and better varieties of   
fruit trees4 ,with the shipments of such
 trees we have brought some of the worst
 of the diseases that we have just      
mentioned4 ,we should have all foreign  
trees most carefully inspected before   
admitting them to the country4 ,we      
should also be very careful about       
shipping fruit or other trees from one  
part of our country to another4         
,diseases are often carried in this way 
into places which otherwise they could  
not reach4  ,field mice1 gophers1 and   
rabbits eat the bark of young fruit     
trees and kill those which are not      
carefully protected4 ,in some parts of  
our country the apple and peach tree    
borers are a serious menace to young    
orchards4 ,grasshoppers occasionally    
come in dense swarms and eat the leaves 
from every tree or plant in their path4 
,the valuable sugar pine of the ,western
 mountains is not seeding itself as     

rapidly as it should1 and we fear it    
will become extinct4 ,the beautiful     
silver-gray squirrel loves the nuts of  
this pine1 and it is said that he eats  
so many that few are left to sprout and 
make new trees4 ,for this reason some   
people would like to make it lawful to  
kill all the gray squirrels that one    
wished4 ,this would be too bad1 for we  
do not believe the gray squirrel is the 
cause of the trouble4 ,it is more likely
 that the lack of young sugar pines is  
due partly to its struggle in the forest
 with more rapidly growing trees and    
partly to the less frequent occurrence  
of forest fires to burn off the humus on
 the ground4 ,we know that the seeds of 
certain trees find difficulty in sending
 their roots down through the humus to  
the soil beneath4    ,illustration3 ,h4 
,w4 ,fairbanks   ,an avalanche has      
passed through this forest4  ,the       
narrow-leaved or cone-bearing trees1    
which are the main source of our lumber1
 also have other enemies4 ,the most     

destructive of these are the little pine
 beetles which lay their eggs in the    
bark of the yellow pine1 sugar pine1 and
 tamarack pine4 ,from these eggs there  
hatch worms which burrow under the bark 
until they cut off the flow of the sap4 
,this kills the trees4 ,the trees that  
are young and strong are sometimes able 
to pour out enough sap into the wounds  
to drown the insects1 but many thousands
 of trees in the ,western mountains are 
destroyed every year by these insects4  
,wind and lightning are both enemies of 
the forests4 ,hundreds of forest fires  
are set every summer by thunder storms1 
but the rangers usually discover such   
fires soon enough to put them out before
 they have done much harm4  ,the        
pasturing of forests by stock does great
 injury1 because of the browsing and    
trampling underfoot of the young trees4 
,sheep and goats are the worst of all   
the animals and should be kept out of   
those forests where the surface         
particularly needs protection and where 

the young trees require all the         
encouragement that ,nature can give them
 in order to make a successful start in 
life4  ,we have learned something about 
the many enemies of the trees1 but the  
worst one has not yet been mentioned4   
,can you guess what it is8 ,this        
terrible enemy is man1--not savage man  
or ,indian1 but civilized man4 ,although
 man has more need for forest trees than
 has any other animal1 he is at the same
 time more ruthless in his treatment of 
them4 ,man destroys more trees every    
year1 as a result of fires which he sets
 and of his wasteful methods of         
lumbering1 than all the other enemies of
 the trees put together4  ,the forest   
area of the world is constantly growing 
smaller1 and we must soon learn to treat
 the trees with more care or they may1  
like many of the wild creatures1 nearly 
disappear from parts of the earth where 
they are most needed4     ,,chapter     
,,seventeen  ,,how ,,the ,,forests ,,are
 ,,wasted    ,o forest home in which the

 songbirds dwell6   ,the squirrel and   
the stag shall miss the spell   ,of thy 
cool depths when summer's sun assails1  
,nor more find shelter in thy shadowed  
vales4         99       99       99     
99       99    ,all will be silent2 echo
 will be dead2   ,a field will lie where
 shifting shadows fled   ,across the    
ground4 ,the mattock and the plow       
,will take the place of ,pan and ,satyr 
now4   ,the timid deer1 the spotted     
fawns at play1   ,from thy retreats will
 all be driven away4    ,farewell1 old  
forest2 sacred crowns1 farewell6        
,revered in letters and in art as well2 
,thy place becomes the scorn of every   
one1   ,doomed now to burn beneath the  
summer sun4   ,all cry out insults as   
they pass thee by1   ,upon the men who  
caused thee thus to die6    ,farewell1  
old oaks that once were wont to crown   
,our deeds of valor and of great renown6
   ,o trees of ,jupiter1 ,dordona's     
grove1   ,how ingrate man repays thy    
treasure trove   ,that first gave food  

that humankind might eat1   ,and        
furnished shelter from the storm and    
heat4  ,,pierre ,,de ,,ronsard1         
translated by ,,bristow ,,adams2        
,american ,forestry1 ,,xvi4 #bdd   ,when
 our grandfathers came to ,america they 
found the country so covered with       
forests that they had to cut and burn   
the trees in order to obtain the ground 
on which to raise their crops4 ,the     
,eastern states could not have been     
settled without clearing the land1 and  
we cannot blame the pioneers for doing  
under those circumstances that which    
today would be very wrong4              
,illustration3 ,h4 ,w4 ,fairbanks   ,the
 farmer wastes the trees by girdling    
them and then allowing them to   rot4   
,there is now enough land so that it is 
no longer necessary to destroy the trees
 in order to raise our food supplies4   
,the forests constitute one of the great
 natural resources of our country and   
men should not be allowed to waste them 
for private gain4  ,although the need   

for more land has long passed1 the habit
 of reckless tree cutting still         
continues4 ,there are now parts of the  
,east where none of the primeval forest 
remains and very little of the second   
growth4 ,firewood is expensive and many 
a farmer has to buy coal1 who1 if he and
 his ancestors had been careful1 might  
have a woodlot to supply not only fuel1 
but lumber for his buildings4  ,many of 
the lands once cleared were found not   
suited to farming and have been left to 
grow up to brush4 ,if the farmer were   
wise he would replant some of these     
lands with such trees as spruce1        
hickory1 walnut1 or maple4 ,although his
 ancestors toiled early and late to get 
these trees out of the way1 a few acres 
of them now would be a fortune4  ,there 
are parts of our country1 particularly  
in the ,south and ,west1 where the      
settlers are still cutting the trees to 
get them out of their way4 ,in distant  
mountain valleys where there is no      
market for lumber1 men are chopping down

 the great pines4 ,they would make fine 
lumber1 for they are tall and straight1 
but instead of being put to some useful 
end their fate is the bonfire4 ,it makes
 no difference to these men that they   
are wasting what it has taken ,nature   
hundreds of years to produce nor that in
 other parts of the country timber is   
scarce and expensive4  ,in ,germany and 
,switzerland the forest resources are   
carefully looked after4 ,as fast as the 
grown trees are cut from a field1 young 
trees are planted in their places4 ,the 
keeping of a certain part of the land in
 forest is held to be of advantage to   
all the people4 ,for this reason men are
 not allowed to cut trees upon their own
 land without permission from the forest
 officer4  ,many years ago1 when        
lumbering became an important industry  
and the mills began to turn out immense 
quantities of boards and beams of every 
sort needed by the growing population of
 our new country1 it was believed that  
the supply would never be used up4 ,only

 the best and clearest logs were sawed  
into lumber1 and a large part of each   
tree was left on the ground to rot or to
 feed the first fire that occurred4 ,now
 lumber is scarce and expensive2 and the
 poorer grades also are in much demand4 
,have you ever seen the giant sugar     
pines on the slopes of the ,western     
mountains8 ,next to the sequoias they   
are the largest of our ,american trees4 
,a single tree has furnished lumber     
enough for a house4 ,sugar pine has now 
become so valuable that it is used only 
for such purposes as window sash1 doors1
 and similar articles4 ,we have taken no
 care of these wonderful trees until    
recently1 but have allowed them to be   
cut and wasted in the most reckless     
fashion4  ,if you could go through the  
sugar-pine forests1 you would find      
hundreds and even thousands of these    
mighty trees lying on the ground        
rotting4 ,this is the work of the shake 
or shingle maker4 ,he has been as       
thoughtless in his cutting of these     

giants which have been hundreds of years
 growing as is the farmer of the stalks 
of grain that springs up and ripens its 
seed in one season4 ,the shingle maker  
must have material which splits well4   
,he hunts for the straightest and       
cleanest trees4 ,at most he does not use
 over fifty feet of the trunk1 and if   
the tree does not split to suit him1    
then all1 or nearly all1 of the tree is 
left to rot4    ,illustration3 ,h4 ,w4  
,fairbanks   ,in turning this giant     
sequoia into lumber more than half the  
tree is   wasted4  ,the waste of the    
lumberman is not so great1 but it is    
enough to open our eyes to one of the   
reasons for the rapid disappearance of  
our forests4 ,on the average only about 
one third of the wood of every tree cut 
is actually used4 ,the rest is lost in  
the logging operations and during the   
various processes through which it      
passes before it reaches our hands4  ,in
 addition to the waste of the trees     
actually cut1 there is the loss of the  

young trees due to careless logging4    
,too often the lumbermen do not care in 
what condition the logs leave the       
forest4 ,they want only the trees now   
fit for lumber1 and they want to get    
them in the easiest way possible4       
,instead of going through the forest and
 picking out only the ripe or mature    
trees and leaving the rest for a later  
cutting1 the lumbermen usually take     
everything that has any present worth4  
,trees that are less valuable for       
lumber1 such as the firs1 are used for  
skidways and bridges1 and when no longer
 needed for these purposes are left on  
the ground4 ,no care is taken to see    
that the great trees fall with the least
 possible damage to the young growth4   
,upon the preservation of the young     
trees1 which almost everywhere occupy   
the open spaces between the large ones1 
rests our hope of a future forest4      
,when the work of lumbering in any      
particular region is finished1 the sight
 is such as must make ,nature weep1 for 

it almost brings tears to our eyes4 ,the
 young trees are broken and crushed to  
the ground1 branches and fragments of   
the trunks lie scattered about1 while   
above the ruin rise those trees not     
considered worth cutting4 ,the once     
beautiful and majestic forest is now    
ready for fire4 ,some passer-by may drop
 a lighted match or cigarette1 and you  
can easily form a picture in your mind  
of what happens4    ,illustration3 ,h4  
,w4 ,fairbanks   ,the shake maker wastes
 the larger part of a great sugar pine  
that has   been a thousand years in     
growing4  ,in the countries of ,europe  
lumbermen are very careful2 not a       
particle of the cut tree goes to waste4 
,the logs are sawed without removing    
what we call slabs4 ,the sawdust is     
saved and used in the manufacture of    
wood alcohol4 ,if we saved all the      
present waste in the logging and milling
 of our pines1 we could make all the    
turpentine needed in our country4 ,if we
 saved what is now wasted of the poplar 

and spruce1 we should have material     
enough to make all the paper we use4    
,there are still large and valuable     
forests in the ,southern ,appalachian   
,mountains1 in the ,rocky ,mountains1   
the ,sierra ,nevada-,cascade ,range1 and
 the ,coast ,ranges4 ,these regions were
 settled later than the ,eastern states1
 and parts of them are yet remote from  
markets4  ,our wise lumbermen are       
beginning to understand that it is      
better to cut over the forest carefully1
 so that by and by there will be another
 crop4 ,nature is doing all she can to  
keep up the supply of trees1 and1 if we 
give her half a chance1 there will be   
timber enough both for us and for those 
that come after us4 ,the forest crop is 
like any other crop1 except that it     
cannot be cut every year4  ,every one   
should understand that he has an        
interest in the forest4 ,although he may
 not own a foot of land1 yet his        
prosperity depends in part on how the   
forests are managed4  ,if the forests   

are not taken care of1 there will       
sometime be a wood famine4 ,if the      
mountain slopes are stripped of their   
trees1 the streams will no longer run   
clear and the low streams in summer will
 lead to a water famine1 which in turn  
might easily cause a bread famine4      
,,chapter ,,eighteen  ,,how ,,the       
,,forests ,,suffer ,,from ,,fires    ,he
 who wantonly kills a tree1   ,all in a 
night of ,god-sent dream1   ,he shall   
travel a desert waste   ,of pitiless    
glare1 and never a stream1   ,nor a     
blade of grass1 nor an inch of shade--  
,all in a wilderness he has made4   ,o1 
forlorn without trees6    ,he who       
tenderly saves a tree1   ,all in a night
 of ,god-sent dream1   ,he shall list to
 a hermit thrush   ,deep in the forest  
by mountain stream1   ,with friendly    
branches that lead and shade1   ,all in 
a woodland that he has made4   ,o1 the  
peace of the trees6    ,he who          
passionately loves a tree1   ,growth and
 power shall understand2   ,everywhere  

he shall find a friend4   ,listen6 ,they
 greet him from every land1   ,english  
,oak and the ,ash and ,thorn1   ,silvery
 ,olive1 and ,cypress tall1   ,spreading
 ,willow1 and gnarled old ,pine1        
,flowering branches by orchard wall--   
,sunshine1 shadow1 and sweetness of     
glade--   ,all in a ,paradise he has    
made4   ,o1 the joy of the trees6  ,the 
,dryad's ,message   ,have you ever seen 
a forest fire8 ,it is a terrible sight  
to see the flames sweep up a mountain   
side4 ,they run along the ground licking
 up the leaves and dead branches4 ,they 
leap from tree to tree1 and then with a 
roar the sheet of flame goes to the top 
of a tall pine4 ,the air is like the    
breath from an oven and is filled with  
sparks and with suffocating smoke4 ,the 
birds and animals flee away in every    
direction4    ,illustration3 ,american  
,forestry ,association   ,the forest    
fire sweeps everything in its path4  ,it
 is no wonder that those whose homes are
 in the forest gather quickly to fight  

the fire1 for if they cannot control it1
 they may lose everything that they     
possess4 ,if there is a wind blowing1   
the fire will probably sweep over many  
miles of country4 ,at night1 though1    
when the air becomes cooler and more    
quiet1 the men can get the advantage of 
it4  ,you can understand1 of course1    
that it is impossible to use water      
against such a fire1 for water is not to
 be had throughout most parts of the    
forests4 ,instead of using water1 the   
men fight fire with fire4 ,taking       
shovels1 hoes1 and rakes to a suitable  
place some distance ahead of the fire1  
they rake away the dead litter on the   
ground1 making a broad1 clean path      
through the forest4 ,then they set      
back-fires along that side of this clean
 path which lies toward the coming fire4
 ,these back-fires burn slowly toward   
the main fire1 and when they meet both  
must die out for lack of fuel4  ,for    
many years forest fires have caused as  
much damage as the lumbermen2 but now   

most of the forests are patrolled by    
rangers during the summer1 and there are
 fewer serious fires4  ,how do the fires
 start in the forest8 ,it is supposed   
that long ago the ,indians set many     
fires to keep the woods open for their  
hunting4 ,lightning has always been a   
frequent cause of forest fires4 ,as many
 as a dozen fires are known to have     
started during a single thunderstorm4   
,but such fires are not as serious as   
they once were1 because the rangers are 
on the watch for them and put them out  
before they get well started4           
,illustration3 ,h4 ,w4 ,fairbanks       
,fires destroyed the forest that once   
covered this region and its place   is  
now mostly occupied by small bushes4    
,aside from those due to lightning1 most
 forest fires are now either set        
purposely or come from engine sparks or 
from somebody's carelessness4 ,many     
fires are set purposely by stockmen who 
think by this means to clear away the   
brush and thus obtain better feed for   

their cattle and sheep4 ,these men often
 care nothing for the forests or for the
 preservation of the summer water flow4 
,they would1 indeed1 be pleased to see  
all the forests burned away if by that  
means they could increase their feed4   
,if you could travel through some of the
 mountainous portions of the ,southwest1
 you would see how much harm has been   
done in this way to the trees1 the      
streams1 and the soil4  ,it is a hot    
summer day and two men are riding along 
a mountain road4 ,one of them           
thoughtlessly throws away a lighted     
cigarette1 which falls upon some dry    
pine needles4 ,in a few moments the pine
 needles are ablaze4 ,the fire spreads  
with incredible rapidity and a great    
column of smoke rises above the         
treetops4 ,before any one can reach it1 
the fire is sweeping up the mountain    
side1 and it may not be stopped before  
it has destroyed thousands of acres of  
valuable timber4 ,all this terrible loss
 is due to one careless man who1 in the 

first place1 should not have been       
smoking cigarettes1 and in the second   
place should have known better than to  
throw a spark into the forest powder    
magazine4  ,some campers1 enjoying the  
summer in the mountains1 go away leaving
 their fire burning4 ,by and by a stick 
burns outward until the fire reaches the
 leaves1 or a gust of wind comes along  
and carries a spark to them4 ,in the hot
 sun the leaves and needles are almost  
as easy to ignite as powder1 and in a   
few moments another fire is making      
headway into the surrounding forest4  ,a
 farmer clearing land thinks he can get 
rid of the brush and young trees more   
easily by burning4 ,but the undergrowth 
is drier than he thought1 and1 the wind 
coming up unexpectedly1 the fire is soon
 beyond his control4 ,it may destroy his
 own fences and buildings and1 sweeping 
on1 ruin those of his neighbors also4   
,illustration3 ,h4 ,w4 ,fairbanks   ,the
 dead stubs of a once beautiful forest4 
,few people have perished from fires in 

the ,west1 for there the forest regions 
are generally thinly inhabited1 but in  
some of the ,eastern and ,northern      
states there have been terrible fires   
that have destroyed whole villages      
together with their inhabitants4  ,in   
many mountain regions of our country    
there are large areas now covered with  
useless brush where there were once     
valuable forests4 ,in regions where the 
lumbermen have not utterly destroyed the
 forests1 but have left some seed trees1
 the forests will come back again1 but  
in these large burned areas conditions  
are not favorable4 ,the destruction of  
the humus as well as the trees has been 
so complete that the seeding of a new   
forest is slow work4 ,it may be hundreds
 of years before the trees will spread  
over and again take possession of the   
waste land4  ,a single fire often       
destroys more timber than would be      
destroyed by a whole camp of loggers    
working for years4 ,in the ,northwest   
there are many sad and desolate pictures

 of the destruction caused by forest    
fires4 ,we may travel for miles through 
forests of tall1 dead stubs1 the remains
 of once noble trees4 ,where they have  
fallen the trunks lie piled many feet   
high and trails had to be cut through an
 almost solid mass of timber4  ,here is 
wood enough to supply thousands of      
people with pleasant winter fires4 ,but 
there are1 alas1 no people living near  
these vast woodpiles and often no road  
to them4 ,the logs must lie there and   
rot4  ,now let us see if we can state   
the chief reasons why we should be      
exceedingly careful about setting fires 
in the woods3  #a4 ,fires destroy an    
enormous amount of valuable timber every
 year4  #b4 ,between fires and lumbermen
 our forests are disappearing faster    
than they are growing4  #c4 ,fires      
destroy the young trees1 and if they    
happen often enough will keep them from 
growing up to replace the mature trees4 
#d4 ,fires do not permanently help the  
cattle ranges1 but injure them by       

burning the humus and grass seeds4  #e4 
,fires leave the ground bare1 so that it
 will dry out quickly4  #f4 ,fires leave
 the soil unprotected1 so that it will  
wash away quickly4  #g4 ,fires destroy  
property and endanger lives4            
,,chapter ,,nineteen  ,,evils ,,that    
,,follow ,,the ,,destruction ,,of ,,the 
,,forests   ,we have already learned    
something about the poverty of the      
people in those lands where the forests 
have been destroyed4 ,this poverty is   
due not so much to lack of wood for fuel
 and other purposes1 but to a whole     
series of troubles which the removal of 
the forests has brought upon them4  ,the
 burning of the humus1 when a fire      
sweeps the forest1 is the next greatest 
loss to that of the timber itself4      
,where there has been no fire1 the      
ground under the trees is covered with  
decaying leaves and stems which are     
slowly mixing with the soil and becoming
 a part of it4 ,the more there is of    
this humus in the soil1 the more        

thriftily plants will grow4  ,many      
people purposely burn over their pasture
 lands in the fall1 believing that this 
will make the grass better the following
 year4 ,they should know that every time
 this is done the soil is made poorer1  
and that it kills the seeds lying on the
 ground ready to sprout when the warm   
spring days come4 ,instead of a better  
pasture there is more likely to be a    
crop of almost worthless weeds4 ,the    
ground is full of worthless seeds which 
are always ready to take the place of   
the grasses when they have a chance4    
,before the fire came1 the roots of     
trees1 bushes1 and grasses kept the     
earth from washing2 and the humus helped
 to hold the rainwater from running away
 rapidly1 so that more of it had time to
 soak into the ground4 ,how well this is
 shown on yonder hills which were once  
covered with brush4 ,a fire swept over  
these hills and burned every living     
thing4 ,what a barren appearance they   
presented after the heavy winter storms6

 ,the slopes were completely covered    
with little furrows and gullies where   
the rainwater had done its work4 ,it    
will be a long time before vegetation   
will again gain a foothold there and    
stop the washing of the earth4  ,when a 
fire occurs in the dense forests of the 
,cascade ,range1 all the trees are      
killed and the thick layer of decaying  
vegetation underneath is burned4 ,the   
spruce1 which is one of the most        
important lumber trees of this region1  
does not at once spring up again4 ,its  
seeds may be scattered there1 but the   
soil is not now in a condition to       
nourish them4 ,in its place springs up  
the tamarack pine1 which1 because it can
 grow in poor soil1 has the whole burned
 area to itself4  ,if we should return  
to the same place perhaps one hundred   
years after the fire1 we should find    
that the tamarack pines had formed a    
thick forest4 ,the lumbermen have little
 use for the tamarack and so have passed
 it by4 ,in looking carefully through   

the tamarack forest1 we find that other 
trees are now springing up4 ,they are   
already struggling for the food1 the    
moisture1 and the sunlight which the    
tamaracks are making use of4  ,during   
the many years that have passed since   
the fire swept this region1 decaying    
vegetation has been slowly accumulating 
and forming humus again4 ,now at last   
the seeds of the spruce find the soil   
rich enough again to sprout and grow4   
,here and there are thrifty young trees 
which will in a few years grow up and   
choke out the tamarack4 ,thus the       
tamarack1 though of so little value     
itself1 has done a great work in        
preparing the soil for a new growth of  
the valuable spruce4  ,upon the drier   
slopes of the ,western mountains shrubs1
 such as the manzanita and chaparral1   
spring up and cover the surface after a 
forest fire4 ,nature does not seem to   
want the surface left bare and usually  
has something at hand1 even though it be
 nothing better than brush1 with which  

to clothe it again4 ,as the years pass  
humus begins to collect upon the ground 
and finally restores it to much the same
 condition it had before the fire4 ,now1
 if by any means seeds can reach such   
places1 scattering trees will first     
spring up in favored spots and1 after a 
time1 the trees will become thick enough
 and large enough to shade the ground   
and the brush will be killed out4       
,illustration3 ,american ,forestry      
,the work of the water where the forest 
has been cut away4  ,the cutting of the 
forests1 especially from the steeper    
mountain slopes1 has in many parts of   
the world changed water1 one of         
,nature's most valuable gifts1 into an  
agent of destruction4 ,throughout the   
,eastern and ,southern states the floods
 are higher in spring and lower in      
summer than they used to be1 because of 
the removal of so large a part of the   
forests that once covered this whole    
region4  ,in the ,west it is even more  
necessary that the forest cover be      

disturbed as little as possible4 ,one   
reason is that the greater part of the  
forests are found upon the lofty        
mountains in which the streams rise4 ,if
 we deforest these steep slopes1 water  
is going to injure them much more than  
it would the gentler slopes of the lower
 lands1 if they had been deforested4    
,another reason is that since little    
rain falls in the summer in this region1
 we must do nothing to lessen the summer
 flow of the streams1 which is so much  
needed for irrigation4    ,illustration3
 ,american ,forestry ,association       
,this beautiful valley in the ,southern 
,appalachian ,mountains has been        
ruined by the floods due to cutting off 
of the forests upon the   headwaters of 
the river4  ,the more water that can be 
held back in the mountains of the ,west 
for summer use1 the more prosperous the 
farmers are4 ,there is nothing that     
helps to hold the water better than the 
forests4 ,they help to equalize the flow
 of the streams so that the floods are  

not so high in the spring nor the water 
so low in the summer as they would be if
 there were no forests4  ,one of the    
first questions asked by a man who is   
thinking of buying a farm is about the  
water supply4 ,he wants to know whether 
there are wells1 springs1 or living     
streams on the place4 ,almost everything
 depends upon the water supply4 ,if     
there is an abundance1 the farmer is    
likely to be prosperous4 ,when he is    
prosperous all the rest of us are       
prosperous1 no matter what our business 
is4  ,are you not ready now to say that 
the ,swiss are right in not permitting  
tree cutting upon any land except under 
the supervision of a forester8 ,the     
careless removal of the forests from the
 mountain slopes may affect the farmer  
in the valley fifty miles away4 ,do you 
not think that this farmer is very much 
interested in the management of the     
forest1 although he does not own a foot 
of it8  ,trouble always follows the     
destruction of the forests on the       

headwaters of the streams4     ,,chapter
 ,,twenty  ,,how ,,our ,,government ,,is
 ,,helping ,,to ,,save ,,the ,,forests  
,as long as the forest shall live1      
,the streams shall flow onward1 still   
singing      ,sweet songs of the        
woodland1 and bringing   ,the bright1   
living waters that give      ,new life  
to all mortals who thirst4      ,but the
 races of men shall be cursed4    ,yea1 
the hour of destruction shall come      
,to the children of men in that day     
,when the forest shall pass away2       
,when the low woodland voices are dumb2 
,and death's devastation and dearth     
,shall be spread o'er the face of the   
earth4    ,avenging the death of the    
wood1      ,the turbulent streams shall 
outpour      ,their vials of wrath1 and 
no more   ,shall their banks hold back  
the high flood1      ,which shall rush  
o'er the harvests of men2      ,as      
swiftly receding again4    ,lo6 after   
the flood shall be dearth1      ,and the
 rain no longer shall fall      ,on the 

parching fields2 and a pall1   ,as of   
ashes1 shall cover the earth2      ,and 
dust-clouds shall darken the sky2       
,and the deep water wells shall be dry4 
,and the rivers shall sink in the       
ground1      ,and every man cover his   
mouth      ,from the thickening dust1 in
 that drouth2   ,fierce famine shall    
come2 and no sound      ,shall be borne 
on the desolate air4      ,but a murmur 
of death and despair4  ,,alexander      
,,blair ,,thaw1 ,the ,passing of the    
,forest2 in ,century ,magazine1 ,june1  
#aijg   ,for many years it was thought  
the forests were inexhaustible and      
needed no special care4 ,the national   
government encouraged people to acquire 
forest land and practically gave away   
#afj acres to every one who would build 
a cabin upon the land and live there for
 a short time4  ,suddenly some of the   
wise people among us awoke to a         
realization of what was going on4 ,they 
discovered that the forests were going  
very fast and that soon we should have  

none if something were not done4        
,between the fires that swept them every
 year and the wasteful lumbering1 the   
forests were in a fair way to leave us  
as they had the wasteful and careless   
peoples of other parts of the world4    
,how fortunate it is that some of us did
 look ahead before it was too late2 for1
 although the ,eastern forests have     
largely disappeared1 there still remain 
millions of acres of government-owned   
forests in the ,west4 ,these forests    
have now been withdrawn from sale and   
are to be held for the use and benefit  
of all4 ,they are not to be permitted to
 pass into the hands of a few1 to be cut
 and sold for private gain4  ,our       
government is acting like a wise father 
who is interested in the welfare of his 
children1 and who understands the need  
of taking care of their treasures until 
they are wise enough to manage them for 
themselves4  ,we are all concerned in   
many ways in the welfare of the forests4
 ,whether we own any forest land or not1

 we are affected by the way in which the
 trees are managed4 ,because we are all 
dependent more or less upon the forests1
 they should be regarded as the property
 of us all1 just as the air and water   
are4 ,but because some of us do not yet 
know how1 or do not care1 to protect    
them1 it is best that the government    
should do so for us4    ,illustration3  
,american ,forestry ,association        
,these men are replanting a mountain    
slope from which fire once swept the    
forest4  ,it may be that you live in a  
brick1 or stone house and burn coal in  
your stoves4 ,you think that it makes no
 difference to you whether or not there 
are any forests4 ,but stop and think a  
moment4 ,are you sure that you are      
really independent of them8 ,how many   
things do you use every day that are    
made of wood8 ,the list is surely a long
 one4 ,if wood is rare and expensive1   
the articles which are made of it add to
 your cost of living and allow you less 
money for other things4  ,let us suppose

 for a moment that you have no use for  
wood in any form4 ,will this take away  
all interest that you may have in the   
forests8 ,in any event you are dependent
 upon the fertility of your fields for  
the food that you require4 ,now1 if     
there is a lumber company stripping the 
mountains at the head of the river upon 
which your home is situated1 and as a   
result of clearing the timber from the  
slopes the floods become worse1 your    
garden is buried beneath gravel and     
sand1 and your orchard washed away1 will
 you not think it does make a difference
 to you in what way the forests are     
treated8  ,the timbered lands which the 
government is holding and caring for are
 known as ,national ,forests4 ,about two
 thirds of the forests yet remaining in 
the ,west are included in them4 ,these  
lands are mostly mountainous and not    
suited to agriculture4  ,in the ,east   
the government has no lands except those
 which it buys4 ,because of the great   
damage which is being done to the       

streams and valleys of the ,appalachian 
,mountains by careless lumbering1 a     
great tract of land is being acquired by
 purchase4 ,this is called the          
,appalachian ,forest4 ,the timber in    
this region will be carefully cut and   
those areas from which it has been      
stripped will be replanted4  ,in the    
,white ,mountains of ,new ,hampshire1   
with ,mt4 ,washington as the center1 is 
a remnant of a once beautiful forest1   
which has been acquired by the          
government4 ,this is known as the ,white
 ,mountain ,forest4 ,it will be enlarged
 as the years pass and carefully        
guarded4 ,it will serve for all time as 
a beautiful pleasure and camping ground4
  ,it is not the government's plan that 
the ,national ,forests shall remain     
unused1 but they are to be used wisely1 
so as to be of the greatest permanent   
good to the greatest number of people4  
,the men who have been placed in charge 
of these lands are called forest        
rangers1 and their duties are of many   

kinds4  ,the rangers supervise the sale 
and cutting of the mature or ripe trees 
as they are needed for lumber1 mining   
timbers1 or posts4 ,they see that the   
waste parts of the cut trees are piled  
so as to lessen the danger from chance  
fires4  ,during the long summers the    
forests become as dry as tinder and the 
loss from fire amounts to millions of   
dollars every year4 ,it is the chief    
duty of the rangers at this time to     
patrol the roads and trails leading     
through the forests and keep a sharp    
lookout for fires4  ,stations have been 
established upon high points from which 
there is a view over a wide extent of   
country4 ,in each of these stations     
there is a man constantly on watch for  
columns of smoke which indicate the     
beginning of a forest fire4 ,when smoke 
is seen a message is telephoned to the  
ranger station nearest the fire1 and    
from this station men are sent as       
quickly as possible with the object of  
putting out the fire before it spreads  

beyond the power of control4 ,the       
forests are now watched so carefully    
that hundreds of fires are thus stopped 
before there has been any serious loss  
of timber4                              
----------------------------------------
---------------------------    ,,stop   
,forest ,fires                          
,they are a ,curse to the ,people       
of ,pennsylvania                        
,,forest       ,existing ,forests       
,,fires        ,possibility of ,future  
,forests                                
,,destroy      ,possibility of ,labor   
,beauty of a ,region                    
,comfort                                
,homes                                  
,lives                                  
,prosperity                             
,protected ,forests ,increase in ,value 
,they ,furnish ,labor1 ,promote         
,industry1 ,afford ,recreation and      
,sport1 ,make a ,region ,beautiful1     
,make ,home ,safe and ,comfortable1     
,make ,life ,worth ,living1 and a       

,prosperous ,state                      
,inhabited by a ,contented and          
,industrious ,people4                   
,which ,would ,you ,rather ,have        
,,forest ,,fires      ,,green ,,forests 
,,floods            ,,pure ,,water      
,,disease       ,,or  ,,health          
,,destruction       ,,thriving          
,,industries                            
,,devastation       ,,prosperity        
,for ,information ,respecting           
,pennsylvania ,forests and              
,tree ,planting1 write to               
,,commissioner ,,of ,,forestry1         
,harrisburg1 ,pennsylvania              
----------------------------------------
---------------------------             
,illustration3 ,this large poster1      
printed on sheets #ad by #bb inches1    
has been of excellent service in        
,pennsylvania4    ,illustration3        
,american ,forestry   ,the seed trees   
left by the lumberman are giving rise to
 a new forest4  ,in convenient places   
the rangers store boxes of tools1 which 

include axes1 picks1 shovels1 and rakes 
to be used in fighting any near-by fire4
 ,they also have at hand provisions and 
camp outfits1 so as to be able to live  
anywhere in the woods4  ,in some parts  
where there is a great deal of small    
timber and brush1 fire lines are cut    
along the ridges where it is easiest to 
stop a fire1 should one occur4 ,our     
forests are so vast that it is not      
possible to remove the dead wood as is  
done in ,europe and thus lessen the     
danger of fire4  ,the forest rangers    
also wage a warfare against insect      
pests4 ,in regions where the bark       
beetles carry on their destructive work 
among the pines1 the rangers sometimes  
cut down and burn thousands of trees4   
,another duty of the rangers is that of 
replanting burned or logged-off areas4  
,in this way many thousands of acres    
which would otherwise remain waste land 
for years1 not being suitable for       
agriculture1 are made in a short time to
 produce a new forest4  ,a limited      

number of cattle and sheep are allowed  
in those forests which can be pastured  
without doing injury to the young trees 
or affecting the flow of the streams4   
,the rangers have charge of this work   
and collect the rent4 ,a part of the    
money derived from the sale of timber   
and for pasturage rights is expended in 
the improvement of the roads and trails 
in the forests and in making the forests
 more safe from fire4    ,illustration3 
,h4 ,w4 ,fairbanks   ,a beautiful grassy
 meadow in the ,sierra ,nevada          
,mountains4  ,the ,national ,forests are
 open to all for pleasure and           
recreation1 but under strict regulations
 about the cutting of trees and the care
 of camp fires4 ,violators of these     
rules are severely punished4 ,visitors  
to the forests are expected to take care
 in the selection of places for their   
camp fires so that there will be no     
danger of the fire spreading4 ,when the 
camp is left1 the fire must be put out  
with water or covered with earth4  ,many

 states have forest services of their   
own1 and some have conservation         
commissions4 ,it is the business of     
these organizations to look after       
various natural resources1 including the
 forests1 water1 soil1 minerals1 and    
wild game4 ,all forest rangers as well  
as state fire wardens are authorized to 
aid in the enforcement of the game laws4
  ,we should assist the foresters and   
wardens in every way possible4 ,most of 
these men love the woods1 the birds1 and
 the animals4 ,they are doing their best
 to protect the forest and its wild life
 for the good and happiness of us all4  
,,chapter ,,twenty-,,one  ,,our ,,forest
 ,,playgrounds    ,what does he plant   
who plants a tree8     ,he plants the   
friend of sun and sky2   ,he plants the 
flag of breezes free2     ,the shaft of 
beauty1 towering high2     ,he plants a 
home to heaven anigh        ,for song   
and mother-croon of bird        ,in     
hushed and happy twilight heard--       
,the treble of heaven's harmony--       

,these things he plants who plants a    
tree4    ,what does he plant who plants 
a tree8     ,he plants cool shade and   
tender rain1   ,and seed and bud of days
 to be1     ,and years that fade and    
flush again2     ,he plants the glory of
 the plain2        ,he plants the       
forest's heritage2        ,the harvest  
of a coming age2     ,the joy that      
unborn eyes shall see--     ,these      
things he plants who plants a tree4     
,what does he plant who plants a tree8  
,he plants1 in sap and leaf and wood1   
,in love of home and loyalty      ,and  
far-cast thought of civic good--        
,his blessing on the neighborhood       
,who in the hollow of ,his hand         
,holds all the growth of all our land-- 
,a nation's growth from sea to sea      
,stirs in his heart who plants a tree4  
,h4 ,c4 ,,bunner1 ,the ,heart of the    
,tree2 in ,century ,magazine1 ,april1   
#ahic   ,our ,national ,parks and       
,forests form the grandest summer       
playgrounds that any people have ever   

had4 ,the ,national ,forests1 we have   
learned1 were set aside for the direct  
purpose of preserving the timber supply 
and regulating the flow of the mountain 
streams4 ,the ,national ,parks were     
created for the purpose of preserving   
for all time the most beautiful and     
attractive scenic features of our       
country4 ,among the most important of   
these are the ,yellowstone1 ,grand      
,canon1 ,yosemite1 ,rainier1 and ,crater
 ,lake parks4 ,they include many        
thousands of square miles of forested   
mountains1 cliffs1 lakes1 waterfalls1   
and rivers1 which are open to all of us 
with no restrictions except that we do  
not injure them4  ,how delightful it is 
to have these wild and picturesque parts
 of our country left unspoiled and just 
as ,nature made them1 and to be able to 
wander through them at will6 ,in the    
parks we can become acquainted with the 
flowers1 trees1 birds1 and animals as   
they were before the country was        
discovered and settled by white men4    

,here the wild creatures are protected  
from the hunters4 ,the deer no longer   
fear the sight of men1 and the mother   
grouse can raise her brood in safety    
from them4  ,when summer comes we feel a
 strange and mysterious longing to get  
out of doors and live in the forests    
with the wild creatures4 ,the parks     
offer just the opportunity to satisfy   
this longing1 for in them we can get    
away from the worries and perplexities  
of our everyday life4  ,we feel the call
 of the wild1 perhaps1 because long ago 
our savage ancestors dwelt in the       
forests among the hills4 ,they were a   
part of ,nature and lived much as the   
animals do in caves in the hillsides1 or
 in homes of the rudest sort made of the
 bark of trees or the skins of animals4 
,our ancestors spent nearly all of their
 time out of doors in the pure1 fresh   
air4 ,their eyes and ears were trained  
to every sign of the forest1 for upon   
the sharpness of their senses their very
 lives depended4    ,illustration3      

,george ,j4 ,young   ,a forest          
playground on ,virginia ,creek in the   
,yosemite country1   ,california1 in one
 of ,uncle ,sam's forest reserves4  ,we 
have lived in houses so long1 where the 
air is often close and impure and where 
we have no need of sharp senses for     
protection1 that we have lost some of   
the strength and sturdy self-reliance of
 our wild ancestors4  ,we have become   
partly dulled to the beauty out of      
doors1 because we have been so          
constantly employed by the business of  
making a living4 ,but the forest        
playgrounds are calling us to return for
 a little time each year to the wilds   
that were once our home1 and to renew   
our acquaintance with the trees1 the    
streams and the rocks1 and with the wild
 creatures that live among them4 ,to be 
able to make our beds on the leaves     
under the trees1 and to build a fire of 
sticks and cook our own food1 seems     
quite natural and like old and familiar 
times4  ,the stories and legends that   

have come down to us about the forests  
and the imaginary people who lived in   
them were believed to be true by the    
people of long ago4 ,the deep1 dark     
woods once covered nearly all ,europe   
where our ancestors lived4 ,to be lost  
in the woods was to be in danger of     
meeting the strange and mysterious      
people who were thought to live in their
 depths4 ,among these beings1 some of   
whom were good and others bad1 were     
fairies1 nymphs1 gnomes1 and ogres4     
,when people ceased to believe so much  
in these stories1 they began to lose    
their fear of the woods4 ,among some of 
these people there grew up a love and   
fascination for the trees which they    
believed were the dwelling places of    
spirits or divinities4  ,if in our great
 forest playgrounds we can lead this    
out-of-door life for a few weeks each   
year1 it will make us healthier1        
stronger1 and happier4 ,we no longer    
fear any mysterious creatures in the    
woods or the forces of ,nature as shown 

in the lightning1 the winds1 and the    
waterfalls2 but year by year we are     
finding more to love and admire in the  
wild scenery of the woods and mountains 
and in their animal and plant           
inhabitants4  ,the wild woods call many 
of us on jaunts and picnics when1 if it 
were not for them1 we should stay at    
home shut up in stuffy rooms4 ,in time  
may not the love of the forest wilds    
come back to us all8 ,may not the time  
come when each one of us shall be able  
to look at a beautiful tree and not     
think only of how much lumber it would  
make8 ,may not the time come when we may
 hear the grouse drumming its call and  
not feel the desire to kill and eat it8 
,if the time does come in which we think
 as much of our beautiful mountains as  
the people of ,europe do of the ,alps1  
we shall then guard them with far more  
jealous care than we do today4 ,in spite
 of the fact that the ,alps are wet and 
cold and that no one thinks of sleeping 
out of doors there1 yet the people of   

,europe love their mountains almost     
passionately4  ,our mountains are much  
more attractive summer playgrounds than 
the ,alps4 ,we can wander at will over a
 far greater number of untrodden ways   
than ,europeans can in the ,alps4 ,we   
can make our beds under the trees with  
rarely a thought of the weather4 ,the   
air is always balmy and the skies are   
almost always blue4     ,,chapter       
,,twenty-,,two  ,,what ,,is ,,happening 
,,to ,,the ,,wild ,,flowers   ,how      
eagerly we have looked forward to the   
coming of spring1 and now it is here6   
,the sun is shining brighter and warmer 
each day4 ,the birds are returning from 
their winter home in the ,south4 ,the   
buds on the trees are swelling and1 in  
the warm nooks1 some of the wild flowers
 have already opened their delicate     
petals4 ,who will find the first spring 
beauty in the ,eastern woods8 ,who will 
find the first of the purple trilliums  
that open their dark flowers in the     
shady groves1 or the golden poppies on  

the warm hillsides of the ,west8  ,the  
spring air affects us as it does the    
plants and wild creatures4 ,we long to  
get away from school1 and taking our    
lunches1 to spend the delightful days   
wandering through the fields and woods4 
,there is no place like the open country
 when all ,nature is waking4 ,we feel   
like running and frisking as the young  
lambs do4  ,can it be wrong to gather   
all that we wish of the beautiful       
flowers with which the earth is         
carpeted8 ,has not ,nature grown them in
 her great garden in such abundance that
 all we pick will make no difference to 
her8 ,let us go with the children on    
their rambles after flowers and learn if
 ,nature does take any account of their 
innocent raids on her treasures4  ,here 
is a party of children chasing across   
the fields4 ,each one is searching for  
the flowers that have bloomed since last
 they were out1 and each is trying to   
get more than his companions4 ,the      
children have learned that some kinds of

 flowers grow in the woods1 others in   
the marshy places1 and still others on  
the dry hillsides4 ,they know where to  
go for each kind1 and not a spot escapes
 their sharp search4  ,here they find a 
patch of violets1 and all are quickly   
picked4 ,there are some baby-blue-eyes1 
and yonder dry field is brilliant with  
the colors of many others4 ,in the      
gathering of the flowers some of them   
are pulled up by the roots1 but the     
children do not think of the harm this  
does4 ,they wander on and on until many 
have more in their hands than they can  
carry4 ,some of those picked first are  
already wilted1 and1 to make their      
burdens lighter1 the children throw     
these away4 ,at last a tired but happy  
band turns toward home4                 
,illustration3 ,h4 ,w4 ,fairbanks   ,the
 wild oxalis loves the moist1 shady     
places4  ,what will be done with all the
 flowers that have been picked8 ,in each
 home the vases are filled and the      
tables decorated4 ,there is no room for 

all of them and some are thrown out4    
,these flowers1 once so fresh and bright
 as they nodded in the breeze1 now lie  
crushed and wilted on the ground4       
,another spring returns and the children
 are out again looking in the familiar  
places for the flowers they know so     
well4 ,but there seems to be something  
wrong1 for there are not so many as     
there used to be4 ,the children have to 
go farther and search more carefully to 
get their arms full4  ,still a third    
spring comes and the children are just  
as ready for the happy excursions and   
just as anxious to get the flowers4     
,they hunt the fields over1 but in the  
places where the flowers used to be so  
thick there are only a few scattering   
ones4 ,they cannot understand what is   
wrong1 but ,nature could tell them if   
they would ask her4 ,the year before she
 was short of seed1 but this year it is 
much worse1 for she had hardly any to   
plant in her garden4 ,she is short of   
bulbs also1 and of many other plants    

that grow from year to year1 for the    
children carelessly pulled these up4    
,illustration3 ,h4 ,w4 ,fairbanks       
,wild asters cover the mountain meadows4
  ,the children do not want to go home  
with only a few flowers1 and so they    
wander farther into the country than    
they have ever been before4 ,here they  
find them as abundant as they used to be
 near home4  ,the children do not stop  
to think that at the base of the bright1
 fragrant blossoms grow the seed that   
will make the flowers of the next year4 
,nature can spare the seed of a part of 
the blossoms1 for she grows many more   
than she needs2 but if we pick them all1
 what can she do for the coming year8   
,the wild flowers are living things     
struggling for a place in the world1    
just as are the animals and birds4 ,we  
cannot abuse and destroy too many of    
them if we would have them stay and add 
to the beauty of our homes4 ,should we  
not take just as much pleasure in       
gathering the flowers if we did not     

bring home more than we needed8 ,would  
it not be better to be satisfied with   
smaller bouquets and leave enough in the
 fields to go to seed and gladden us    
next year8  ,the reckless gathering of  
wild flowers has gone on so long and    
they have been picked so closely about  
many of our towns and cities1 that they 
are disappearing4 ,when there are no    
longer wild flowers within reach of the 
children who live in the cities1 they   
will have lost a great joy out of their 
lives4  ,there are besides the flowers  
of which we have been speaking other low
 plants of beautiful foliage with which 
we love to decorate our homes4 ,we must 
take care that these are not gathered   
too closely or they also will become    
scarce4 ,we cannot go out into the woods
 and pull up ferns by the roots year    
after year and expect ,nature to keep up
 the supply4  ,the huckleberry is one of
 the many beautiful shrubs which we     
admire for its delicate leaves and      
colors4 ,it is cut and brought in from  

the country in huge bundles to supply   
the florists4 ,the time will come when  
these decorations can no longer be had  
if the men are allowed to cut all they  
can find4 ,just as in the case of the   
flowers1 seekers for them will be       
obliged to go farther each year and by  
and by the shrubs will be so scarce and 
high priced that we shall be obliged to 
do without them4    ,illustration3      
,pillsbury's ,pictures1 ,inc4   ,nature 
has grown flowers in abundance1 but we  
should not pick or destroy   too many of
 them4  ,we hunt far and wide for the   
beautiful holly berries with which to   
decorate our homes at ,christmas4 ,when 
we have found a berry-laden bush1 we    
eagerly break off the branches and bear 
them home in triumph4 ,the bush1 once so
 gay with berries1 is a sad-looking     
thing when we are through with it4 ,the 
branches are broken so far back that    
next year it will bear few berries and  
we shall have to seek another4  ,we     
treat the beautiful earth on which we   

have been placed in a most thoughtless  
manner4 ,we think only of what we want  
now1 and forget that another year is    
coming in which also we shall want some 
of the earth's treasures4 ,if we take   
only the surplus which each year        
produces1 there will always be enough   
for us and for the people who live after
 us4     ,,chapter ,,twenty-,,three     
,,nature',s ,,penalty ,,for             
,,interfering ,,with ,,her              
,,arrangements   ,nature seems very     
prodigal in her ways4 ,she is           
continually creating on the earth a     
great multitude of living things1 far   
more than there is room for4 ,each one  
of these1 if it would live1 must have a 
certain amount of air1 sunshine1 and    
food4 ,as there is not enough of these  
things to supply every one1 there arises
 a struggle4 ,those that are weakest    
die1 because they are not able to get   
what they need4 ,to us this seems hard1 
but it is ,nature's way4  ,and further1 
since many of the animals feed on the   

flesh of other animals1 the latter have1
 in addition to the struggle for their  
food1 to watch constantly for their     
lives4 ,every organism is in one sense  
the enemy of every other one4 ,we do not
 mean that they often try to kill each  
other because of hate1 as men do1 but   
that they are after food to satisfy     
their hunger4 ,some of the higher       
animals as well as men fight for        
mastery1 in addition to struggling for  
food4 ,we hope that among men the       
unnecessary fighting will sometime      
cease1 and that kindness and            
unselfishness will rule4  ,the struggle 
for life is ceaselessly going on around 
us1 but so quiet is it that we are not  
often aware of the countless tragedies  
that take place4 ,this struggle extends 
from the plants and animals in the pond1
 so small that we cannot see them with  
the unaided eye1 upward through all the 
larger animals4  ,the struggle among all
 living things helps us to understand   
the necessity for ,nature's prodigality4

 ,if the plants and animals that serve  
as food for others were not produced in 
great numbers1 they would soon become   
extinct4 ,it is seldom that any one kind
 of plant or animal1 because of its many
 enemies1 has an opportunity to spread  
and obtain more than its share of food  
and sunshine4 ,according to ,nature's   
arrangements1 each organism does its    
share in keeping down the numbers of the
 others4 ,this we call the balance of   
,nature4  ,sometimes the balance of     
,nature is disturbed and one particular 
kind of animal gets the start of its    
enemies and increases until it becomes a
 plague4 ,this may be caused by a       
favorable season or by the decrease of  
its enemies on account of disease among 
them4 ,we have read of the plagues of   
grasshoppers which have sometimes       
visited the ,western states and eaten up
 every green thing4 ,plagues of rats and
 field mice have been known to do a     
great deal of damage4 ,in such cases    
their natural enemies1 the hawks1 owls1 

and coyotes1 may be attracted to the    
region from far around1 because of the  
extra food supply4 ,after a time they   
may succeed in reducing the numbers of  
these pests4  ,this balance among the   
animals1 which comes from one living    
upon another1 is a strange and wonderful
 thing4 ,no one kind can long overrun   
its fellows4 ,if one does get a start   
and increases until it becomes a pest or
 plague1 some enemy is sure sooner or   
later to spring up to destroy it4 ,we   
use this method in fighting some of the 
insect pests which are injuring our     
trees4 ,men have searched in various    
parts of the world from which such pests
 as the gypsy moth and the ,san ,jose   
scale have come to find some of their   
enemies and bring them to this country  
to feed on these insects4  ,when men    
came upon the earth1 they soon began to 
upset ,nature's arrangements1 and from  
that time until now matters of this kind
 have been growing worse4 ,we have      
killed large numbers of the beneficial  

animals and birds that kept the harmful 
ones in check4 ,we have carried others  
from the homes given them by ,nature1   
where they were doing little harm1 to   
new homes where they have become        
terrible plagues4  ,the killing of large
 numbers of hawks and owls1 all the     
species of which many people have       
wrongfully thought to be harmful1 has   
been followed by a great increase in the
 numbers of rats and mice4 ,we have     
killed off most of the coyotes1 the     
chief food of which was rabbits and     
ground squirrels4 ,the two latter       
animals have now become a serious pest4 
,they do enormous damage to the crops1  
and we spend thousands of dollars       
fighting them4  ,the common rabbit has  
in most parts of its native country so  
many enemies which are always on the    
lookout for a good meal1 that it cannot 
increase enough to do much harm4 ,years 
ago a number of rabbits were taken to   
,australia1 where there were none4 ,here
 they found a favorable climate and few 

enemies4 ,they have now increased so    
that they overrun much of the continent 
and are a terrible pest which the       
farmers are unable to control4  ,some   
years ago the gypsy moth and the        
browntail moth were introduced by       
accident into the ,new ,england states4 
,finding there a congenial climate and  
few enemies1 they increased rapidly4    
,they soon began to strip the leaves    
from the beautiful elms which make the  
streets and parks of this region so     
attractive4 ,now these moths have turned
 their attention to the white pine and  
are doing an ever-increasing amount of  
damage2 and although they are being     
fought by every means in our power1 we  
are not certain that we can ever control
 them4  ,the codling moth1 whose larva  
is the little apple worm1 causes an     
immense loss in our fruit orchards4 ,the
 cotton-boll weevil1 which destroys so  
much of the cotton1 is1 like the codling
 moth1 an insect imported from another  
country4 ,the ,san ,jose scale reached  

,california from ,china and has now     
spread throughout our country4 ,it has a
 special fondness for the sap of fruit  
trees1 and1 being so small1 was not     
noticed until it had got beyond control4
 ,this scale causes more loss than any  
other of the tree insects4  ,the        
,hessian fly1 introduced from ,europe   
more than one hundred years ago1 causes 
during certain seasons a very great loss
 to the wheat crop4 ,the ,argentine ant 
has been brought to us from ,south      
,america and is proving a most          
destructive pest4 ,the ,norway rat was  
brought to our country on sailing       
vessels and causes more loss than most  
of us realize4 ,the ,english sparrow has
 spread over much of the country and is 
driving many of the native birds from   
their homes1 because of its quarrelsome 
disposition4 ,it makes itself a nuisance
 on all our city streets4  ,the         
mongoose1 in its home in ,india1 is a   
great rat killer1 but does not there    
increase so as to do much harm4         

,wherever it has been carried for the   
purpose of using it as a rat killer1    
this little four-footed animal has      
become a terrible scourge4 ,after it    
destroys the rats it goes after the     
snakes4 ,then it attacks the other small
 animals and birds4 ,finally it begins  
upon the chickens1 and even the         
vegetables in the garden are not safe   
from its voracious appetite4  ,men are  
now watching at every port to see that  
no more dangerous insects and animals   
are brought into the country4 ,they are 
particularly on the watch for the       
,mediterranean fruit fly and for the    
mongoose4  ,when we upset the balance of
 ,nature1 we start a whole chain of     
troubles4 ,what can we do to escape the 
consequences of our ignorance and       
carelessness8 ,in the first place we can
 protect the birds1 for they eat        
enormous quantities of the harmful      
insects4 ,in the second place we can see
 that no more of these dangerous pests  
are allowed to land on our shores4 ,in  

the third place we shall have to fight1 
by every means that we can discover1    
those that are already here4            
,,chapter ,,twenty-,,four  ,,what       
,,shall ,,we ,,do ,,when ,,the ,,coal1  
,,oil1 ,,and ,,gas ,,are ,,gone8   ,if  
coal1 oil1 and gas were suddenly taken  
away1 all the nations would become poor 
and many of their industries would      
cease4 ,just think for a moment of the  
amount of work these things do for us   
and what an effort there would be made  
to find something to take their place6  
,wood once formed the chief fuel4 ,it   
was used only to cook our food or to    
keep us warm4 ,now fuel is required for 
so many different purposes that with the
 decrease of the forests wood has been  
found insufficient4  ,peat is one of    
those substances that has been used in  
parts of ,europe to take the place of   
wood1 but it is used so little in our   
own country that many have never seen   
it4  ,peat is dug from bogs or marshes4 
,we might say that a peat marsh is the  

beginning of a coal bed4 ,peat is the   
partly decayed vegetation which has     
slowly accumulated in wet places4 ,in   
the colder countries it is formed       
largely of moss and similar water-loving
 plants1 but where the climate is warm  
other kinds of marsh vegetation1 and    
even trees1 aid in forming peat4        
,sometimes floods bring earth and       
deposit it in the marshes1 in which case
 the peat is less suitable for fuel1 but
 forms a rich and productive soil       
instead4  ,in many of the vast swamps of
 long ago1 when there were no men nor   
even the higher animals upon the earth1 
vegetation grew very rank4 ,it is       
believed that at that remote time the   
air contained more carbonic acid1 a     
substance which promotes the growth of  
plants4 ,thus the plants in the warm1   
moist parts of the earth grew more      
densely and luxuriantly than they       
usually do today4  ,in the decay of this
 vegetation deposits similar to the peat
 marshes were formed1 but they differed 

in being much thicker and more          
extensive4 ,if the story of these       
ancient peat marshes had stopped here1  
we should never have had any coal4      
,fortunately it did not1 for some of the
 swamps sank beneath the water of a lake
 or ocean and thick beds of gravel1     
sand1 or clay were deposited over them4 
,while buried deep in the earth1 the    
decaying vegetation was heated and      
pressed together by the great weight of 
the earth above1 and was finally changed
 to shining1 black coal4  ,after the    
coal was made1 but before men came to   
the earth1 parts of the sea bottom with 
its buried treasures were raised to form
 hills and mountains4 ,then the         
rainwater began its work upon the       
slopes1 and after a time washed away so 
much of the overlying material that the 
coal was exposed at the surface4 ,at    
last through some accident1 such as     
lightning perhaps1 men learned that this
 black substance would burn4 ,coal was  
little used1 however1 as long as there  

was an abundance of wood and the needs  
of people were few4  ,as manufacturing  
and the use of the steam engine         
increased1 coal grew in value4 ,the     
business of mining coal finally became  
one of the great industries4 ,the mining
 operations were carried on as          
carelessly as though the supply in the  
interior of the earth were              
inexhaustible4 ,in the underground      
working it is customary to leave about  
one quarter of the coal in the form of  
pillars for the purpose of supporting   
the roof4 ,at a little more expense     
other materials could be substituted for
 these pillars and all the coal could be
 taken out4  ,in using the coal we waste
 about another quarter4 ,stoves and     
furnaces are usually built so poorly    
that a large part of the value of the   
coal escapes as gas and smoke4 ,in large
 cities and manufacturing districts the 
smoke becomes a great nuisance4 ,in the 
making of coke from coal1 enormous      
quantities of coal tar and gas have been

 lost4 ,most engines consume a far      
greater amount of coal than they should 
in doing a given amount of work4 ,most  
of us do not know how to use coal       
economically in our homes1 and thus aid 
not only in wasting the coal supplies   
but in making the cost of living higher 
than it should be4 ,all together1 in the
 handling of coal we lose fully half of 
it4 ,the coal supply of the earth is    
disappearing very fast1 and at the rate 
at which its use is now increasing it   
may not last more than one hundred      
years4  ,if we cannot use coal without  
wasting so much1 would it not be wiser  
for us to turn our attention more fully 
to the sources of power in the streams  
which are flowing down all our mountain 
sides8 ,the use of this power when      
turned into electricity would enable us 
to save a large part of the coal1 oil1  
and gas that are now used1 and so make  
them last longer4  ,it is far easier to 
waste oil and gas than coal1 for1 when  
we have drilled holes in the earth1     

unless we are very careful the gas will 
escape into the air and the oil will    
become mixed with water1 so that it will
 be difficult for us to get it4  ,oil   
and gas are confined under great        
pressure hundreds and often thousands of
 feet below the surface4 ,to make clear 
how easy it is to waste them1 we might  
compare them to the compressed air in an
 automobile tire4 ,if the tire is       
punctured by a nail1 the air issues     
suddenly with a sharp1 whistling sound  
until the pressure inside is gone and no
 more will come out4  ,for many years we
 have been puncturing the crust of the  
earth1 where oil has been discovered1   
and letting the oil and gas escape4 ,we 
have saved most of the oil1 but nearly  
all the gas has been wasted4 ,the gas   
will finally stop coming out when the   
pressure is gone1 just as the air did in
 the automobile tire4  ,on the opposite 
page is a picture of a gusher in the    
,sunset oil field1 ,california1 which   
tells the story of how we are permitting

 the valuable substances within the     
earth to be wasted4 ,in drilling this   
well the oil men suddenly struck a      
deposit of oil and gas under great      
pressure4 ,the drilling tools were blown
 out of the well and a column of oil and
 gas shot up #aej feet4 ,for a time the 
well flowed forty thousand barrels of   
oil each day1 and an unknown quantity of
 gas4 ,much of the oil was scattered    
around the surrounding country1 and all 
the gas was lost4 ,men worked for weeks 
making reservoirs of earth in an attempt
 to save the river of oil4  ,another    
well a few miles distant struck an      
enormous quantity of gas4 ,it blew off  
for days with a roar like that of the   
steam from a giant engine4 ,then it took
 fire1 and the column of flame at night 
was a fearful sight4 ,there was gas     
enough lost from this one well to light 
a city for months4  ,gas has been       
escaping during many years from hundreds
 of wells in the ,pennsylvania1 ,ohio   
,valley1 ,oklahoma1 ,texas1 and         

,california oil fields4 ,the gas from   
all these wells together has been       
estimated to be equal in value to a     
river of oil flowing several hundred    
thousand barrels each day4 ,in many     
districts the gas was nearly gone before
 people discovered its great value4 ,it 
is impossible for us to realize the     
waste which this represents4            
,illustration3 ,myrl's ,studio1         
,bakersfield1 ,california   ,a gusher in
 a ,california oil field wasting great  
quantities of oil and   gas4  ,it has   
taken ,nature a long time to make the   
oil and gas which we are losing4 ,when  
she began this work1 the oil regions    
which have been mentioned were beneath  
the sea4 ,in its waters lived countless 
numbers of minute organisms1 as well as 
fish of many kinds4 ,as they died1 their
 bodies accumulated in beds which       
finally became thousands of feet thick4 
,then the currents of the water changed 
and sand and mud were washed over these 
beds1 burying them deeply4  ,finally the

 bottom of the sea was lifted and became
 dry land4 ,the movement squeezed and   
folded the rocky layers made of the     
skeletons of the animals and plants4    
,the soft parts of their bodies held in 
these rocky layers produced a greenish  
or brownish oil and gas4 ,the gas tried 
to escape from the rocks1 for they were 
hot and it wanted more room4 ,in some   
places it found openings through the    
rocks and escaped to the surface1       
usually bringing some of the oil with   
it4 ,the gas was lost1 but a part of the
 oil remained1 forming deposits of tar4 
,in other places the oil and gas could  
not reach the surface1 but found porous1
 sandy rocks into which they went and   
remained until the oil driller found    
them4  ,the tar springs1 or seepages1   
indicate to the oil prospector where    
deposits of oil may possibly be found4  
,he examines the country about and1     
selecting a favorable place1 drills a   
well4 ,if he is successful1 he will     
strike oil-bearing rocks4 ,the oil may  

be a few hundred feet below the surface1
 or it may be a mile below4 ,in the     
latter case it takes months to drill the
 well4  ,if a robber came and attempted 
to take by force the coal1 oil1 and gas 
which we are daily losing through our   
carelessness and indifference1 even     
though he might put it to better use    
than we put it1 there would at once go  
up a great cry4 ,we would raise an army 
and fight for our property1 and perhaps 
suffer great loss in defending it4 ,but1
 day by day1 without making any serious 
objection1 we are letting these natural 
resources go to waste4  ,perhaps in some
 far distant future1 after we have used 
up the stores of fuel in the earth1 we  
may discover something to take its      
place2 but wise and thoughtful people   
should make the most of what they have4 
,,chapter ,,twenty-,,five  ,,need ,,for 
,,protection ,,of ,,creatures ,,that    
,,live ,,in ,,the ,,water   ,perhaps you
 think it is absurd to talk about caring
 for the creatures that live in the     

water1 since they can so easily hide    
away in its depths where we cannot      
follow4 ,perhaps you think that because 
the ocean is so great it would be       
impossible ever to catch all the fish   
that live in it4 ,it is easy to         
understand how all the fish might be    
caught out of the creeks1 rivers1 and   
shallow lakes1 since fish are hungry and
 we put before them such attractive     
bait2 but with the ocean it seems       
different4 ,it stretches so many        
thousands of miles and is so very deep  
that there does not appear to be any    
danger of exterminating the animals of  
the ocean as we have some of those of   
the land4  ,is it true1 however1 that   
all the vast waters of the ocean are    
full of fish1 or are they found only in 
certain parts8 ,the fishermen can tell  
us about this matter4 ,they know where  
to set the hooks and nets1 and where    
they are most likely to get a good      
catch4 ,they do not go far out where the
 water is deep but seek1 instead1 the   

shallow waters near the shore or about  
the reefs and islands4 ,they know that  
the deep water of the ocean contains    
very few fish and none that are of any  
value as food4  ,each kind of fish has  
become adapted to certain parts of the  
ocean1 for both the food supply and the 
pressure of the water differ with       
different depths4 ,fish caught in deep  
water are often dead before reaching the
 surface1 because of the decrease in the
 water pressure4  ,one reason why fish  
are not numerous far out in the ocean is
 because there is little food to be had 
there4 ,the reason no fish are found in 
the very deep parts of the ocean is     
because the water there contains no air 
particles4 ,strange as it may seem1     
although fish breathe water1 they cannot
 live unless it contains oxygen from the
 air4  ,the fish1 then1 that interest us
 because of their value for food1 are   
found only in the shallow waters usually
 near the shore and in the lakes and    
rivers4 ,because of this fact it is     

possible1 as we have learned from       
experience1 to set so many traps and use
 so many nets and hooks as entirely to  
destroy certain species4  ,the fish have
 their natural enemies1 and there is    
warfare among them just as there is     
among the land animals4 ,the larger and 
more powerful live upon the smaller     
ones1 but1 seemingly to make up for     
this1 ,nature has given the small fish  
quickness of movement--which the large  
fish do not possess--to aid them in     
escaping4 ,they have also the power of  
increasing very rapidly4 ,the little    
herring1 which is the chief food of many
 of the large fish1 maintains its       
countless numbers against all its       
enemies except the fishermen4  ,the     
,indians1 with their crude traps1 hooks1
 and spears1 could obtain but few fish  
at a time and did not reduce their      
numbers4 ,but civilized man1 with his   
cunningly contrived hooks and nets1 has 
the same advantage over the fish that   
the hunter1 with his repeating gun1 has 

over the land animals4 ,nature1 not     
foreseeing how destructive man would be1
 has armed neither the creatures of the 
land nor the creatures of the water     
against him4  ,the fisherman does his   
work just as thoughtlessly as the hunter
 whose business it is to supply the     
market4 ,he seems to think no more about
 the effect upon next season's supply1  
of his stretching a net across a river  
and catching all the fish going up to   
spawn1 than does the market hunter who  
would1 if he could1 shoot the last duck4
 ,is it not strange that many fishermen 
will do anything in their power to evade
 the laws governing the catching of fish
 when by doing so they injure their own 
business8    ,illustration3 ,edward ,s4 
,curtis   ,a rocky island in the        
,pacific ,ocean1 used by seals as a     
sunning place4  ,we have already nearly 
destroyed the mammals that live in the  
ocean4 ,among them are the whales1 which
 were once numerous in the arctic       
regions4 ,few whaling ships now arrive  

with profitable cargoes of oil or       
whalebone4 ,the sea otter1 the fur of   
which is more highly prized than that of
 any other animal1 and the walrus1      
valuable for its oil1 are also nearly   
extinct4  ,no more cruel hunting was    
ever carried on than was that of the    
seal mothers in the open ocean where    
they go in search of food4 ,when the    
mothers are killed the young ones1 left 
in the rookeries upon the ,pribilof     
,islands1 soon die of starvation4 ,the  
fur seal has thus been so reduced in    
numbers that it was threatened with     
extinction4 ,now ,russia1 ,japan1       
,england1 and the ,united ,states have  
agreed to stop all killing of the fur   
seal for a number of years4  ,as a      
result of the great demand for fish1 and
 the careless methods used by the       
thousands of men engaged in catching    
them1 ,nature unaided cannot keep up the
 supply4 ,for the purpose of assisting  
her1 strict laws have been passed in    
many states4 ,these laws prohibit       

fishermen from stretching their nets or 
weirs across the streams so as to block 
the passage of the fish when going to   
their spawning grounds4 ,they also      
prohibit the taking of undersized fish  
and in some cases allow none at all of  
some kinds to be taken for a given time4
 ,our government is now doing a great   
deal to save the food fishes of the     
country1 but some varieties are still   
decreasing4    ,illustration3 ,h4 ,w4   
,fairbanks   ,an ,indian fish trap4     
,the little herring is the most valuable
 of all the sea fish4 ,enormous numbers 
are captured in nets1 and still greater 
numbers form the food of other fish4    
,the herring has so many enemies that it
 must increase rapidly in order to hold 
its place in the sea4 ,nature has       
arranged that this fish should produce  
twenty thousand or more eggs at each    
spawning season4 ,it is thought that if 
only two eggs out of this great number  
hatch and grow up1 the supply of herring
 will be maintained4 ,this estimate does

 not1 however1 take into account the    
present terrible waste of herring in the
 ,chesapeake and other bays on the      
,atlantic coast1 where it is taken in   
nets and used for making land           
fertilizer4 ,is it any wonder that the  
herring is now decreasing in numbers8   
,the oyster was once hunted so closely  
that it would have disappeared from our 
coast waters if the young had not been  
taken and raised artificially4 ,is it   
not interesting to know that we plant   
young oysters on oyster farms1 and raise
 oyster crops1 all below the level of   
high tide8 ,the greatest oyster farms in
 the world are upon ,chesapeake ,bay4   
,there are also oyster farms in other   
bays upon the ,atlantic seaboard1 and   
lately the oyster has been transplanted 
to the bays upon the ,pacific ,coast4   
,the lobster was trapped so             
industriously that it also began to grow
 scarce4 ,finally the government took up
 the matter of protecting it4 ,the eggs 
and the young were guarded1 and now it  

is increasing in numbers4  ,once the    
sturgeon was very plentiful in the lakes
 and rivers of our country4 ,for a long 
time it was thought to be of no value   
and was thrown away when caught in nets 
set for other fish4 ,then it was        
discovered that its flesh was delicious1
 and its eggs1 known as caviar1 became a
 very fashionable dish4 ,after this     
there followed a period of most         
destructive fishing1 and now sturgeon   
are quite scarce and high priced4       
,herring1 shad1 and salmon are migratory
 fish4 ,by this we mean that they spend 
a part of their lives in the ocean but  
enter the bays and streams at the       
spawning season4 ,you can readily       
understand that if the bays are blocked 
with nets the fish cannot reach the     
spawning grounds and their numbers must 
decrease4 ,chesapeake ,bay contains such
 a maze of nets1 many of them extending 
out ten miles from the shore1 that it is
 a wonder that any fish get past them4  
,illustration3 ,h4 ,w4 ,fairbanks   ,a  

fish wheel on the ,columbia ,river1 in  
which salmon are caught on their   way  
to the spawning grounds4  ,the waters of
 ,new ,england were once filled with    
striped bass1 smelt1 salmon1 and shad1  
but now these fish are almost gone4 ,the
 shad are rapidly decreasing all along  
the ,atlantic ,coast4 ,the nets in ,lake
 ,erie extend out sometimes ten miles   
from shore1 and the whitefish as well as
 the sturgeon have been greatly reduced 
in numbers there4  ,when the ,pacific   
,coast was first settled1 the salmon run
 in the ,sacramento1 ,columbia1 and     
other rivers was a wonderful sight4 ,the
 waters were fairly alive with these    
huge fish4 ,hydraulic mining so muddied 
the waters of the ,sacramento that their
 numbers greatly decreased4 ,then came  
the fishermen and stretched their nets  
across the rivers1 so nearly blocking   
the channels that the salmon were rarely
 seen on their old spawning grounds4    
,now salmon fishing is carefully        
regulated and salmon are increasing4    

,the shallow waters of ,san ,francisco  
,bay1 the ocean for some miles out from 
shore1 and the waters about the islands 
of ,southern ,california form very      
valuable fishing grounds1 which1 if they
 are taken care of1 will furnish much   
larger supplies of fish than are now    
obtained4  ,the interesting discovery   
has been made that the waters around the
 islands of ,santa ,catalina and ,san   
,clemente form important spawning       
grounds for many food fish1 including   
the great tuna4 ,these waters were      
fished so destructively that many of the
 fish were found to be decreasing4 ,this
 has led to the establishment of a fish 
preserve for three miles about ,santa   
,catalina ,island4 ,within this area no 
fish are allowed to be taken except with
 a hook and line4 ,some of the most     
valuable fish1 which were almost gone1  
are now becoming more numerous4 ,the    
fact that the fish stay close about the 
island where the water is shallow makes 
the establishment of the preserve       

possible4  ,the salmon and halibut      
fisheries of the ,alaskan waters have   
long been the source of much profit4    
,this region1 owing to the many bays and
 islands1 fairly swarms with fish of    
many kinds4 ,protection will soon be    
needed here if this great storehouse of 
fish is to be kept filled4  ,the cod    
fisheries of the ,newfoundland banks are
 among the most valuable in the world1  
and are almost the only ones where      
fishing has long been carried on and    
where the supply is not decreasing4 ,the
 banks are formed by a great flat reef  
four hundred miles long1 over which the 
water is shallow enough to offer a fine 
home for cod4  ,hatcheries have been    
established in many parts of our country
 for the purpose of collecting and      
hatching fish eggs4 ,these are used for 
restocking those waters that have been  
fished out4 ,after the eggs have hatched
 and the young fish have reached a      
certain stage1 they are shipped to the  
streams where they are needed4 ,the     

,united ,states fishery on the ,mc,cloud
 ,river1 ,california1 has distributed   
rainbow trout all over the ,united      
,states4 ,shad and striped bass have    
been brought from ,eastern fisheries and
 planted in ,pacific ,coast waters1     
where they are now rapidly increasing4  
,thus we learn that valuable food fish  
live within certain narrow bounds       
instead of being distributed all through
 the waters of the globe4 ,it is as     
easy1 with our many ingenious devices of
 net and weir1 to destroy the           
inhabitants of the water as it is to    
destroy those of the land with guns4    
,,chapter ,,twenty-,,six  ,,man ,,more  
,,destructive ,,than ,,the ,,other      
,,animals   ,we have learned something  
about the struggle among the plants and 
animals for food and for room on the    
earth4 ,we must not think1 however1 that
 this struggle is at all like the war   
that is carried on between different    
nations4 ,wars are usually unnecessary  
and do more harm than good1 for they    

result in the loss of the strongest and 
best men4 ,but the struggle among the   
animals and plants has resulted in good1
 for it has crowded out the weakest and 
those less fitted to live4  ,the        
struggle among all living things for    
food and a share of the sunshine has    
covered the earth with a far greater    
variety than there would otherwise be4  
,because so many more are born than     
there is room for1 they crowd and elbow 
each other4 ,many are forced to make    
their homes in regions which they would 
not have chosen if they had been free to
 do as they pleased4 ,it is partly      
because of this crowding that some of   
the animals which once lived on the     
ground became changed into birds and    
made their homes in the trees4 ,a number
 of the mammals found more freedom in   
the water and finally became whales1    
seals1 and walruses4 ,many moved into   
deserts and1 in learning to live with   
very little water1 developed curious    
bodies and habits4 ,some have found a   

home in the cold ,north1 where they have
 become suited to a climate which would 
quickly kill those which had held their 
ground in the warm and moist tropical   
regions4  ,nature has thus filled the   
earth with an infinite variety of living
 things1 each of which is doing its part
 in making the world beautiful and      
attractive4 ,man is ,nature's last and  
most wonderful creation4 ,he has learned
 to fly like the birds1 to swim under   
the sea like the fish1 and to harness   
,nature's forces and make them work for 
him4 ,but man1 with all his wisdom1 has 
too often forgotten that he is really a 
brother to the lower creatures4 ,the    
inhabitants of the air1 the land1 and   
the water could1 if they were able to   
talk1 tell the most pitiful tales of    
man's cruel treatment of them4  ,of     
course we have to eat1 as do all other  
living creatures1 but for thousands of  
years people have supplied their wants  
largely from agriculture and from the   
domestic herds4 ,although very few of us

 now have to hunt for our food1 and     
these few are those who live far out on 
the borders of newly settled regions1   
yet we have not forgotten the hunting   
instincts of our ancestors4  ,our       
ancestors of long ago1 like the savages 
on the earth today1 seldom killed game  
unless they needed it for food4 ,we1 who
 think ourselves far better than they1  
now kill wild life for the pleasure of  
the chase4 ,the professional hunter who 
seeks the glossy coats of the           
fur-bearing animals or the beautiful    
plumage of certain birds gives no       
thought to the wasted bodies that he    
leaves behind4  ,since men have become  
civilized and their needs have become so
 many1 ,nature's arrangements have been 
seriously disturbed4 ,she has not armed 
the wild creatures against men1 who1    
with all kinds of marvelous weapons1 are
 able to take advantage of them4 ,the   
wild creatures discover very quickly    
that they can find little protection    
against this new enemy1 no matter how   

quick and sharp their senses are4  ,the 
blue jay has only his sharp eyes to help
 him when he seeks the cunningly hidden 
nest of another bird with the hope of   
being able to dine upon eggs4 ,the      
breakfast of the wolf depends alone upon
 his quickness in catching a rabbit4    
,the mountain lion depends upon his     
stealthiness when stalking a deer4 ,the 
,indian relies upon his skill in        
imitating the call or the appearance of 
an animal when he tries to approach near
 enough to use his bow and arrow4       
,civilized men have lost much of the    
keenness of sight and hearing they once 
had1 but they have far more than made up
 for this through their ingenuity in    
making deadly weapons4  ,we depend no   
longer upon the hunt for each day's     
supply of food4 ,but the instinct to    
hunt which still remains we use to amuse
 ourselves while upon our camping trips4
 ,some people even made a living by     
hunting for the market1 although1       
fortunately for the wild creatures1     

little of this kind of hunting is now   
permitted4  ,the desire to get out of   
doors and live for a time each year     
among the wild mountains is another     
instinct which comes to us from our     
savage forefathers4 ,this is a          
beneficial instinct1 for life in the    
fresh air gives us new strength4 ,the   
hunting instinct is not wrong in itself4
 ,it is the manner in which we hunt that
 is wrong4 ,but how much finer it would 
be if1 instead of using an outing as an 
excuse to destroy the wild creatures1 we
 should use it to learn about them and  
their curious ways4 ,how much more real 
pleasure there is in studying the habits
 of the denizens of the woods and fields
 than there is in killing them6  ,many a
 boy wants to carry a gun1 because he   
has read lurid stories of ,indians and  
robbers1 or of hunting in the jungles   
where lions and tigers abound4 ,this    
often leads to the killing of harmless  
birds for the lack of bigger game4 ,boys
 should be taught either at home or in  

school the sacredness of life1 and a    
feeling of pity and love for the wild   
creatures that are surrounded by enemies
 on every side4 ,they should be taught  
that animals have feelings and that they
 want to live4 ,they should be taught   
how wrong it is to destroy life         
uselessly4 ,the nest of eggs or helpless
 young left to their fate through the   
thoughtless killing of a mother bird is 
a sight which must arouse the sympathy  
of every boy who has been taught what it
 means4    ,illustration3 ,eastman      
,kodak ,company   ,the only right way to
 hunt birds' nests--with a camera4  ,the
 killing of the mothers is the surest   
way to destroy a species4 ,the laws in  
most of our states now regulate hunting 
during the breeding season and limit the
 number of wild animals or birds that   
may be taken in a given time4 ,whenever 
the numbers of any species become so    
reduced that it is in danger of         
extinction1 all hunting of that species 
should be prohibited for a number of    

years4  ,we should feel sorry for those 
men who live in a civilized land and get
 the benefit of its advantages and yet  
are worse than savages at heart4 ,if    
these men who are so wasteful of wild   
life could be stripped of their         
destructive weapons and sent into the   
wilds to make their living as savages   
do1 they would soon learn to be more    
careful4  ,the animals prey upon each   
other because it is their nature to do  
so and because their lives depend upon  
it4 ,savages hunt because they must have
 food4 ,we do not need to hunt1 but1    
because of our higher intelligence1 our 
hunting methods are far more destructive
 than are those of either animals or    
savages4     ,,chapter ,,twenty-,,seven 
,,what ,,is ,,happening ,,to ,,the      
,,animals ,,and ,,birds   ,nature has   
done more for our land than for almost  
any other4 ,she has given it vast       
forests1 fertile soil1 favorable        
climate1 enormous water power1 many     
minerals1 and a wonderful variety of    

animal life4  ,during all the centuries 
that the ,indians lived here before the 
coming of white men1 wild game furnished
 them their chief food1 but in spite of 
this1 the amount of game was not        
decreased4 ,when our forefathers landed 
upon this continent1 it fairly swarmed  
with animals and birds4 ,with the       
clearing away of the forests and the    
settling of the prairies men could not  
help depriving many wild creatures of   
both their shelter and their food1 but  
this was not the chief cause for their  
rapid decrease in numbers4 ,hunters     
followed them persistently into the     
wilder hills and mountains1 and many1   
not needed for food1 were killed for    
their furs4    ,illustration3 ,there is 
no recovery of an extinct species4      
,conservation   or devastation--which   
shall it be8 ,common sense demands the  
regulation   of hunting in such a way   
that our wild life will persist as a    
permanent   asset4 ,western ,wild ,life 
,call1 published by the ,california     

,associated   ,charities for the        
,conservation of ,wild ,life4  ,now we  
may travel for days through the remote  
and still unsettled parts of our country
 and see very little life of any kind   
except birds and the smaller animals1   
such as squirrels4 ,occasionally we may 
start up a deer that flees away from us 
like the wind4 ,still more rarely we    
come upon a bear and are fortunate if we
 get even the merest sight of him before
 he is gone4  ,the fear of man has      
spread among all the wild creatures4    
,there is good reason for this fear1    
because man has completely exterminated 
some species and so reduced the numbers 
of others that careful protection will  
be needed to save them4 ,travelers tell 
us that in those lands where man rarely 
goes the wild creatures have little fear
 of him4    ,illustration3 ,l4 ,a4      
,huffman1 ,miles ,city1 ,mont4   ,why   
the buffalo have nearly disappeared from
 the land4  ,the story of the slaughter 
of the buffalo is known to us all4 ,once

 this noble animal roamed from the      
,alleghenies to the ,rocky ,mountains4  
,countless thousands were killed merely 
for their hides1 and other thousands    
were killed for sport4 ,finally1 when   
they were almost gone1 people awoke to  
the importance of saving them4 ,several 
small herds1 not more than a few hundred
 in number1 that had escaped the hunters
 were placed under protection and now   
they are slowly increasing4             
,illustration3 ,american ,museum of     
,natural ,history   ,a group of         
,roosevelt elk4  ,the grizzly1 king of  
bears1 was once abundant in parts of the
 ,rocky ,mountains and upon the ,pacific
 slope1 but now he is found only in the 
,yellowstone ,park region4 ,the man who 
killed the last specimen in ,california 
is proud of his great achievement4  ,of 
all the elk which once spread over the  
western part of our country1 only a few 
remain outside of the ,yellowstone      
region4 ,a protected herd exists in the 
,san ,joaquin ,valley1 ,california1 and 

another small herd roams through the    
wilder parts of the northern ,coast     
,ranges4 ,the antelope1 so common on the
 plains only a few years ago1 are all   
gone except for small1 scattered herds  
in the more remote parts of the ,west4  
,of the many fur-bearing animals which  
once inhabited the ,northwest1 beavers  
were the most widespread and abundant4  
,their pelts were so valuable that they 
were used as money4 ,for many years the 
trapping of these little animals was an 
important industry1 until at last they  
were practically exterminated in every  
stream throughout the western half of   
the country4 ,a few beaver are known to 
remain in the ,yellowstone ,park1 where 
they are of course carefully protected4 
,in ,oregon a few escaped and have been 
carefully protected for some years4 ,in 
certain places they are now quite       
abundant4 ,in parts of ,new ,england and
 ,canada they are now increasing under  
the protection of the game laws4  ,the  
sea otter1 now extremely rare1 is so    

highly valued for its fur that it soon  
may become extinct1 although completely 
protected by law4    ,illustration3 ,new
 ,york ,zooelogical ,society   ,a beaver
 and its lodge4  ,the passenger pigeon1 
whose flights almost covered the sky at 
times not more than forty years ago1 and
 whose numbers seemed so great that no  
one believed it possible of             
extermination1 is now gone forever4 ,the
 extinction of these birds was due      
chiefly to their being slaughtered at   
their roosting places4  ,the ,california
 condor1 one of the largest of birds1 is
 almost extinct4 ,the prairie chicken   
has disappeared from the prairies and   
plains4 ,certain species of grouse1 and 
especially the sage grouse1 mountain    
quail1 and others1 which inhabit        
sparsely settled regions1 are thought to
 be still holding their ground1 but     
should be more carefully protected4 ,the
 valley quail is1 however1 much reduced 
in numbers2 while ducks1 geese1 and     
smaller shore birds are decreasing with 

each succeeding year4  ,even in the     
jungles of far-away ,africa1 where we   
would think the animals are exposed to  
little danger of extinction1 some of    
them1 such as the elephant1 are in      
urgent need of protection4 ,in the far  
,north the great polar bear will not    
long survive unless rigidly protected4  
,what terrible scourge has so suddenly  
come upon the birds and animals that    
once adorned our country8 ,how is it    
that in the short space of fifty years  
many of them have almost disappeared    
from their ancient haunts8 ,we feel like
 hiding our faces in shame1 for it is   
the same man scourge that for many      
hundreds of years has been destroying   
the forests1 the animals1 and the birds 
of many other countries4                
,illustration3 ,finley  ,bohlman   ,a   
,california condor4  ,the helplessness  
of all the wild creatures before man's  
destructive weapons should arouse our   
sympathy1 if nothing else does4 ,leaving
 out of account a few predatory animals 

that destroy large numbers of other     
animals1 we should most earnestly try to
 protect those that remain4  ,the beauty
 of the birds1 their sweet music1 the   
companionship which they afford1 and1   
last but not least1 their great value to
 the farmer and fruit grower1 should    
arouse our earnest efforts in their     
behalf4  ,in our country alone an army  
of five million men and boys go out to  
hunt wild creatures every year4 ,the    
animals are so defenseless against man's
 weapons that it is not a fair fight1 in
 which the quicker or sharper escape1   
but a slaughter4  ,if these hunters were
 savages armed only with bows and       
arrows1 then the wild creatures would   
have a chance for their lives4 ,besides1
 savages do not kill for sport1 nor do  
they purposely destroy ,nature's most   
valuable gifts to them4  ,the forest    
that has been cut down will grow again4 
,the soil that has been made poor will1 
if let alone1 sometime become fertile   
again4 ,but those species of birds1     

animals1 and fish which we have         
completely destroyed will never be      
restored to us4    ,illustration3 ,nat'l
 ,ass'n ,audubon ,societies   ,the sage 
grouse1 which is in danger of           
extinction4     ,,chapter               
,,twenty-,,eight  ,,the ,,tragedies ,,of
 ,,milady',s ,,hat ,,and ,,cape   ,our  
savage ancestors depended largely for   
food upon animals1 birds1 and fish which
 they obtained4 ,they used the skins and
 furs for clothing and the plumes for   
decorating themselves4 ,they allowed no 
part of the bodies of the animals they  
killed to go to waste4  ,we do not now  
have to depend upon the wild creatures  
for food1 because our flocks and herds  
supply all that we require4 ,but ,dame  
,fashion has decreed that furs and      
feathers are still the proper thing to  
wear4 ,thus it has come about that those
 animals that have soft1 furry coats and
 those birds that have bright plumage   
are hunted more eagerly now than they   
were long ago when food was the most    

important thing4  ,the demand for furs  
has always been great and the trapping  
industry has employed thousands of men  
ever since our land was discovered1 but 
in recent years feathers have become    
almost as important4 ,no region where   
fur-bearing animals have their lairs1 or
 birds of beautiful plumage have their  
nests1 is too far away or too difficult 
for the hunters and trappers to go and  
hunt4  ,the business of killing wild    
creatures for money makes beasts out of 
men and has led to most heartless       
cruelties4 ,the savage1 hunting for     
food1 kills his prey at once2 but the   
fur trapper with a circuit which takes  
sometimes a week to cover often has to  
leave his prey1 tortured in the traps1  
until it starves to death4  ,if the     
wearer of that handsome warm fur coat   
could know what was1 perhaps1 the story 
of the wild creature to which it once   
belonged1 would she enjoy it so much8   
,could the wearer of that gay hat1 for  
the making of which not only a mother   

bird1 but perhaps a whole family of     
little ones1 gave up their lives1 take  
so much pleasure in it if she knew the  
history of its plumes8  ,it is not the  
desire for warm furs about our necks or 
for beautiful feathers in our hats that 
is wrong4 ,it is the needless suffering 
that those who hunt and trap cause the  
wild creatures that we should be ashamed
 of and insist upon having stopped4     
,the work of the trapper and hunter is  
nearly done4 ,these men have despoiled  
for money the life of a whole continent 
in a few short years4 ,the fur-bearing  
animals1 if hunted in moderation1 would 
have continued to people the wilds for  
all time to come4 ,but neither the      
wearer of furs nor the hunter has given 
one thought to their preservation4  ,in 
the getting of bird plumage for         
millinery purposes we find cruelties    
practiced which are almost beyond our   
belief4 ,the lowest savage that ever    
lived on the earth could be no worse    
than many of our bird hunters4  ,birds  

have habits which make them easier to   
kill than fur-bearing animals4 ,although
 the modern fashion for feathers began  
less than fifty years ago1 the birds    
that afford bright and graceful plumage 
have already been nearly exterminated4  
,now most of them are protected in our  
country1 and the sale of feathers from  
other countries is prohibited in our    
markets4 ,but there are some places     
where the law is not enforced1 as well  
as many other countries where there are 
no laws1 and thoughtless women still    
wear plumes4 ,to supply the demands of  
fashion all the remote lands as well as 
islands of the sea are being searched4  
,illustration3 ,finley  ,bohlman        
,young great blue herons in their nest4 
,the slaughter began with the           
bright-colored songbirds1 terns1 gulls1 
herons1 egrets1 and flamingos4 ,then it 
extended to other sea birds1 including  
the albatross1 to bright-colored        
tropical birds1 and to the wonderful    
birds of paradise4 ,how true is the     

following statement made in a millinery 
store3  ,you had better take the feather
 for twelve dollars1 said the clerk1 for
 it is very cheap at that price4 ,these 
feathers are becoming scarce and very   
soon we shall not be able to secure     
them4  ,here is milady's beautiful cape 
glistening with all the colors of the   
rainbow4 ,of what is this gorgeous thing
 made8 ,would you believe it possible   
that it is formed entirely of humming   
birds' skins1 with the heads and long1  
slender bills8 ,perhaps a thousand of   
the tiny birds were sacrificed that some
 woman might have a beautiful cape4     
,does it seem possible that any         
gentlewoman could wear this cape1 who   
had any realization of the tragedies    
that had to take place in humming-bird  
life in order that it might be made8    
,could she wear this cape if she knew of
 the forsaken nests and the hundreds of 
dying young ones waiting for the mothers
 that never returned8    ,illustration3 
,finley  ,bohlman   ,forster's tern or  

sea swallow on its nest4 ,the wings and 
tail of this   bird are used for        
millinery purposes4  ,but more terrible1
 if anything1 than the story of the     
humming-bird cape is the story of the   
delicate egret plumes on yonder hat4    
,they once adorned the mother bird at   
nesting time in some far marsh4 ,the    
feathers are almost perfect at this     
time1 and to get them the bird must be  
killed4 ,each bunch of egret feathers   
represents a family tragedy1--a nest of 
little birds left to die1 because the   
mother has been sacrificed to satisfy   
the demands of fashion4  ,the plume     
hunters invade the nesting places of the
 egrets1 herons1 and flamingos1 often   
leaving not a single bird in what were  
once happy colonies1 except the starving
 little ones4 ,millions of these plumes 
have been obtained along our seacoasts  
and about the interior lakes and        
marshes4 ,is it any wonder that the     
egrets are nearly extinct as a result of
 this merciless slaughter8  ,now1 when  

it is almost too late1 protection has   
been given these beautiful birds4 ,bird 
refuges have been established at        
different favorable points along the    
,south ,atlantic and ,gulf coasts and in
 the ,klamath and ,malheur ,lake regions
 of ,oregon4 ,these refuges are watched 
over by wardens1 and we hope that the   
birds inhabiting them will thus be      
enabled to increase and again fill the  
almost forsaken marshes4  ,in our plea  
for the protection of the birds of      
attractive plumage1 we must not forget  
those of the tropical jungles4 ,remote  
as many of these jungles are1 the       
plumage hunter is devastating them      
already4 ,the bird of paradise1 found in
 the ,east ,india islands1 will soon be 
extinct unless protected4     ,,chapter 
,,twenty-,,nine  ,,the ,,court ,,of     
,,the ,,animals ,,and ,,birds   ,once   
upon a time1 not very long ago1 the     
birds and animals were brought into     
court to be tried on the charge of      
committing all sorts of misdeeds4 ,some 

of their accusers wanted to shoot them  
for food4 ,others said they did much    
harm and should be destroyed1 while     
still others envied their beautiful     
coats of fur or feathers4 ,to settle the
 matter fairly1 the judge decided that  
each prisoner should be tried by itself4
  ,the first case called was that of the
 ,english sparrow1 who made such a noisy
 disturbance that the bailiff had to    
call for silence4 ,all witnesses        
asserted that the bird was a foreigner  
and did not belong in this country4     
,they further testified that the sparrow
 was a meddlesome1 gossiping neighbor1  
always fighting the other birds and     
driving them away4 ,the sparrow looked  
around1 but not a single friend could he
 find4 ,the court decided that he should
 be driven out and made the lawful prey 
of every one4 ,he cautioned all present1
 however1 always to be very careful to  
distinguish between the ,english sparrow
 and the other sparrows4 ,the latter    
birds must on no account be molested1   

for they were without any exceptions    
most useful citizens4  ,in regard to the
 linnet the judge hardly knew what to   
say4 ,the bird was shown to be a sweet  
singer1 but very destructive of fruit4  
,it was finally decided that a census of
 the linnets must be taken occasionally4
 ,whenever their number was found to be 
so great as to endanger the fruit crop  
in any particular place1 the farmers    
were to be allowed to dispose of a      
certain number4  ,the bobolink had many 
friends as well as enemies present4     
,every one that knew the bobolink in its
 summer home in the ,north insisted that
 this beautiful singer must be          
protected4 ,but the people from the     
,south1 where it spends the winter1     
wished the privilege of shooting it4    
,they said that its flesh formed a      
delicious morsel and also that in the   
rice fields1 where it was known as the  
rice bird1 it did a great deal of harm4 
,the judge refused to listen to the plea
 of the hunters and said that this      

attractive bird must be protected in    
both its winter and summer homes4  ,the 
turn of the blue jay came next4 ,every  
one wondered what the charge against    
this bird with the beautiful blue       
plumage could be4 ,some thought that he 
was on trial for his discordant         
screeching1 which alarmed all the       
inhabitants of the woods4 ,the charge   
against the jay was1 however1 far more  
serious4 ,he had been caught while      
making his breakfast of some baby birds 
which a mother robin had just hatched4  
,the quail and every other small bird   
present called for vengeance on this    
ruthless destroyer of their homes4 ,the 
gardener also added that the bird ate   
his cherries and apples4  ,the jay now  
presented a strong defense1 saying that 
most of his food was made up of harmful 
insects and worms4 ,he proved that he   
did almost as much good as harm4 ,the   
judge1 knowing what a wise bird the jay 
was1 told him to go but that he must    
thereafter look out for himself4  ,the  

family of hawks was next examined4      
,there were many witnesses who declared 
that they were the most destructive of  
neighbors and lived entirely upon small 
birds and chickens4 ,the songbirds all  
raised their voices against hawks1      
saying that when they left their nests  
to hunt for food for their children1    
they were never sure of finding them    
alive upon their return4 ,the judge     
inquired carefully as to the truth of   
these complaints1 but found that only a 
few of the hawks were guilty as claimed4
 ,these included the peregrine falcon1  
sharp-shinned hawk1 and ,cooper's hawk4 
,the other hawks proved that they were  
the farmers' best friends1 for they     
waged endless war upon mice1 rats1      
ground squirrels1 gophers1 and rabbits1 
and only occasionally caught other      
birds4 ,they had evidence also that in  
those places where their numbers had    
been much reduced by the hunters1 the   
small rodents increased enormously4     
,illustration3 ,finley  ,bohlman        

,full-grown young red-tailed hawks4     
,the court had to be held at night to   
accommodate the owls and give them      
justice4 ,the judge decided from the    
evidence that1 in this family as in the 
last1 there were good members as well as
 bad and he could not condemn them all  
to death4 ,the owls proved that they    
were of even more benefit to the farmers
 than were the hawks1 because of the    
large number of rats which they ate4    
,the great horned owl and the barred owl
 only were singled out for punishment4  
,illustration3 ,finley  ,bohlman   ,the 
screech owl at home4 ,this is a         
well-known bird1 of great economic      
value because it catches so many mice4  
,the case of the meadow lark was called 
next4 ,an old farmer complained that    
this bird had destroyed his young grain4
 ,then the hunters made the plea that   
the meadow lark was really a game bird  
and that they ought to be allowed to    
shoot it4 ,in defense of these birds the
 stomachs of many of them that had been 

killed were shown in court4 ,it was     
proved that two thirds of all their food
 was made up of harmful insects and that
 the farmers ought to be glad to have   
them about4 ,it was further shown that  
if the insects killed by the meadow     
larks in one day in the ,san ,joaquin   
,valley1 ,california1 were loaded on the
 cars and hauled away1 it would take a  
train of twenty cars of ten tons each4  
,the meadow lark1 upon this showing1 was
 allowed to go unmolested and at once   
began a happy carol4    ,illustration3  
,finley  ,bohlman   ,a coyote1 one of   
the keenest-witted animals of the       
,western plains4  ,the grizzly bear had 
been summoned1 but could not be found1  
for all of his species had been killed  
except a few in the ,yellowstone ,park4 
,but the black bear was brought in and  
accused of eating young calves and      
colts4 ,the stockmen asked that all the 
black bears be killed4 ,the judge       
decided1 however1 that as there are so  
few left1 and they are so timid and     

rarely do any harm1 and are1 besides1   
among the most interesting of the       
citizens of the woods1 they should go   
free and be protected from the hunter4  
,the coyote was next dragged in and     
accused of all manner of evil deeds4 ,he
 pleaded in defense that he helped to   
keep down the numbers of the rabbits and
 ground squirrels1 and that if it were  
not for his tribe1 these little animals 
would eat up everything4 ,the judge     
decided that the coyote was on the whole
 a rather unpleasant neighbor and       
refused to afford him any protection4   
,every one knew1 however1 that the      
coyote was so sharp and keen that he was
 a match for most of the enemies about  
him and would get along very well4      
,illustration3 ,finley  ,bohlman   ,a   
weasel in its summer coat4  ,those sly  
little animals1 the skunk1 weasel1 coon1
 and mink1 destroyed a great many birds1
 especially those that nested on or near
 the ground1 according to the report of 
most of those present in court4 ,but the

 skunk had some good friends who showed 
that his chief food was insects and     
worms1 and that he did more good than   
harm4 ,it was further proved that the   
fur of all these animals was so valuable
 that1 while trapping them would be     
permitted1 they must not be             
exterminated4 ,in regard to the weasel1 
the testimony showed that he was a badly
 slandered animal4 ,most of his food    
appeared to be rats and mice1 and only  
rarely did he kill chickens4 ,the judge 
added that these poor animals had too   
often been condemned offhand4 ,although 
they occasionally ate chickens1 no one  
had tried to find out the good which    
they did4  ,to hear the complaints      
against the great ,california sea lion1 
the court adjourned to the seashore4    
,the fishermen declared that the sea    
lion ate the fish upon which their      
livelihood depended1 and also broke     
their nets4 ,they demanded that all the 
sea lions be killed4 ,careful search in 
the stomachs of some of them that had   

been taken for that purpose made it very
 clear that the fishermen were wrong4   
,the sea lions ate almost no fish1 but  
lived upon squid and other sea animals  
not valuable to the fishermen4 ,as a    
result1 these interesting animals were  
given full protection4  ,the oyster     
farmers complained most indignantly to  
the court about the conduct of the wild 
ducks4 ,they said that the ducks ate a  
large part of the young oysters on their
 oyster farms4 ,they wanted the ducks   
shot without delay1 for their business  
was almost ruined4 ,this matter was     
carefully looked into1 and it was proved
 that the ducks really ate very few     
oysters4  ,the judge remarked as he     
adjourned court that if all the         
accusations were true1 hardly a wild    
creature would be left4 ,he said further
 that each one was entitled to fair     
treatment at the hands of men unless it 
was wholly bad4     ,,chapter ,,thirty  
,,the ,,birds ,,our ,,good ,,friends    
,,and ,,pleasant ,,companions   ,as we  

lie partly awake on some bright spring  
morning1 we hear through the open window
 such a chorus of music that it seems   
almost as though we must be in some     
enchanted land4 ,this music1 however1 is
 the songs of the birds that nest about 
our homes4  ,we can distinguish in the  
chorus the notes of many different      
birds4 ,from the treetop come the sweet 
songs of the oriole and robin4 ,upon a  
low bush sits a black-headed grosbeak   
that never seems to weary of his        
refrain4 ,from various hidden places in 
the dense foliage come the notes of the 
song sparrow and the lazuli bunting4    
,from its perch upon some fence post the
 meadow lark adds to the cheerfulness of
 the morning4 ,if your home is far      
enough south1 you may hear the mocking  
bird pouring forth its melody in endless
 variation4  ,rising above all other    
sounds1 as the morning advances1 are the
 cheery calls of the quail who seems to 
say3 ,where are you8 ,where are you8    
,stay right there2 stay right there4    

,both in the morning and in the evening 
the almost heavenly music of the thrush 
echoes through the deep woods4 ,in the  
quiet night the hoot of the owls is most
 entertaining4  ,would you for anything 
have the birds leave us8 ,would you for 
anything lose these airy creatures whose
 music1 bright plumage1 and graceful    
movements not only add so much to the   
pleasure of our daily lives but also    
serve us in so many ways8 ,the woods1   
fields1 and waters would be lonely      
without them4  ,did you ever think that 
it is possible1 that it is indeed       
likely1 that many of these beautiful    
creatures will leave us for all time if 
we do not treat them kindly and give    
them every protection in our power8 ,did
 you ever think of all the enemies that 
are constantly on the watch for the     
birds1--the thoughtless boy who robs    
their nests1 the angry farmer who       
mistakenly believes they injure him1 the
 hunter who thinks only of how good they
 taste1 the sleek cat lying so          

innocently by your fireside1 which loves
 a bird above everything else1 and last 
of all1 the blue jay1 butcher bird1 and 
some of the hawks and owls8  ,to realize
 how our home would seem without birds1 
let us take an imaginary journey far    
across the water to sunny ,italy4 ,here 
you will rarely hear bird music upon    
spring mornings1 unless it be that of   
some poor caged creature4 ,if you will  
walk through the country1 you will see  
few birds where once they must have been
 abundant4 ,but upon every holiday you  
will see the fields filled with hunters1
 who with keen eyes are watching for any
 stray birds that have happened to stop 
on their journey across the country to  
rest and to hunt worms or taste a bit of
 fruit4 ,the ,italian does not know the 
good the birds do his garden and that it
 would be the part of wisdom for him to 
let them have a little of his corn and  
fruit4  ,we will now journey to ,spain  
and learn something about the treatment 
of our bird friends there4 ,this country

 was once rich and prosperous4 ,from it 
came many of the early explorers of our 
own land4 ,the people of the central    
highlands of ,spain never loved to hear 
the birds sing1 because they were always
 thinking of the grain which the birds  
took4 ,thinking to save their crops1    
they not only killed and scared away all
 the birds they could1 but they also cut
 down the trees so that the birds would 
have no places to nest4  ,thus the      
people freed themselves from the birds1 
but what was the harvest that they      
reaped8 ,when the trees were gone they  
had no fuel1 the soil dried out more    
quickly1 and the insects increased until
 they destroyed far more of the grain   
and fruit than the birds could possibly 
have done4 ,the people are now very poor
 and just manage to live from one       
harvest to another4  ,now let us learn a
 little about our own birds and what    
they are doing for us4 ,we ought to know
 the habits of all the common birds that
 frequent our gardens and be able to    

tell each by its note4 ,this would add  
greatly to our pleasure when out of     
doors and make us appreciate the        
services they are rendering4  ,go where 
you will through the open fields or     
among the trees and bushes1 you will    
find different kinds of birds and all of
 them busily engaged4 ,they are         
searching over every bit of ground as   
well as over the trunks1 branches1 and  
leaves of the trees4 ,some are after the
 seeds of different kinds of weeds4     
,others are getting the worms and       
insects that infest the trees4 ,watch a 
flock of the little titmice going       
carefully over all the leaves and       
branches of an oak tree4 ,when they have
 finished1 there are few insects or     
their eggs left upon it4  ,how anxious  
are some of our farmers as well as the  
sportsmen to have the meadow lark       
classed as a pest or as a game bird4    
,would that the farmers knew how much   
good this bird does them6 ,the stomachs 
of many of these larks have been        

carefully examined in order to find out 
what they really do eat4 ,the contents  
show that more than half of the food of 
the meadow lark is made up of harmful   
insects1 including beetles1             
grasshoppers1 crickets1 ,jerusalem      
crickets1 cutworms1 caterpillars1       
wireworms1 bugs1 bees1 ants1 wasps1     
flies1 spiders1 and many others4 ,these 
birds also eat large quantities of the  
seeds of weeds and at times damage the  
grain fields4 ,the good that they do1   
however1 far outweighs the evil4        
,illustration3 ,finley  ,bohlman   ,a   
young meadow lark4  ,woodpeckers belong 
to another class of birds that are very 
useful to us4 ,how often have we heard  
them hammering upon a dead tree as they 
drill holes in search of the worms and  
beetles that are hidden under the bark  
or in the heart of the wood4 ,it has    
long been the habit of hunters to shoot 
woodpeckers just for sport1 although no 
one eats them nor are they known to do  
any harm4 ,with a decrease in their     

numbers there has been an increase in   
insect pests which are now destroying so
 many trees in all parts of our country4
 ,the woodpeckers in the ,sierra ,nevada
 ,mountains are worth almost their      
weight in gold1 for they destroy        
millions of beetles that are killing the
 great sugar pines and yellow pines4    
,here and there you will find a tree1   
attacked by the beetles1 from which the 
woodpeckers have almost stripped the    
bark in their search for these insects4 
,the food of the martins and swallows is
 wholly made up of insects4 ,we have all
 seen them in their graceful flight and 
have noticed how they seize their insect
 prey while on the wing4 ,the martins   
are of little value for food1 and yet1  
in some parts of our country they have  
become almost extinct because of the    
pursuit of them by pot hunters4         
,illustration3 ,finley  ,bohlman   ,a   
barn swallow4    ,illustration3 ,finley 
,bohlman   ,a least sandpiper or snipe1 
one of the shore birds4  ,the shore     

birds form a group of very great value4 
,they include those long-legged birds   
with slender bills which are found1     
usually along the shores of the ocean   
and of lakes and small bodies of water1 
but sometimes in the interior away from 
the water4 ,the food of these birds is  
almost wholly insects1 which are harmful
 in various ways4 ,among these insects  
are grasshoppers1 army worms1 cutworms1 
cabbage worms1 grubs1 horseflies1 and   
mosquitoes4  ,so cruelly and            
relentlessly have the shore birds been  
pursued by men who call themselves      
sportsmen2 that many species are nearly 
extinct4 ,we hope that the ,migratory   
,bird ,law will be enforced and that    
with the protection this gives them they
 will again increase and fill their old 
haunts4 ,but we must ever be on the     
watch1 for there will still be greedy   
hunters trying to evade the law until   
all our boys grow up with love and      
appreciation for the birds4 ,the        
killdeer1 snipe1 and other plovers1     

whose habits make them the most         
interesting of the shore birds1         
especially need our protection4 ,we have
 all seen these birds in our walks along
 the shore4 ,small and delicate their   
bodies are2 each one would make scarcely
 a mouthful1 and yet the pot hunters    
have seemed determined to kill them all4
  ,how many people ever think of the    
quail in any other light than as a      
delicious morsel to be served up on     
toast for dinner8 ,the quail is not only
 useful because of the insects which it 
destroys1 but is a most wonderfully     
interesting and attractive bird4 ,if you
 have ever disturbed a mountain quail   
with a brood of young1 you will never   
forget what an interesting sight the    
mother presented as she strutted back   
and forth on a log1 warning her little  
ones to keep out of sight4              
,illustration3 ,finley  ,bohlman   ,a   
white heron4  ,quail eat over a hundred 
kinds of insects1 and happy should be   
that farmer who can get them to come    

about his home4 ,can you find it in your
 heart to shoot the father bird1 as1    
perched upon some sightly point1 he     
watches for danger while the mother just
 off the nest with her little brood     
feeds trustfully under his care8  ,the  
hunting of quail for market is now      
prohibited by law4 ,but before          
protection came market hunters were     
known to carry out the most cruel       
methods in order to bag the quail in    
large numbers4 ,in the drier parts of   
our country1 the springs where quail    
came to drink were covered until the    
thirsty birds gathered in large numbers4
 ,in this way the hunters were able to  
obtain all they wanted4                 
,illustration3 ,finley  ,bohlman        
,gulls and terns on their resting       
ground4  ,let us henceforth show by our 
kindness and good will to the living    
things around us that we are not        
merciless savages1 thinking only of     
something to eat1 but rather that we    
appreciate their presence and the great 

good that they do4     ,,chapter        
,,thirty-,,one  ,,how ,,to ,,bring ,,the
 ,,wild ,,creatures ,,back ,,again   ,in
 the preceding chapters we have learned 
something of the destructive warfare    
that men have carried on against wild   
creatures4 ,we have learned that some   
species are already extinct and that    
many others have been so reduced in     
numbers that they are threatened with   
the same fate4  ,nothing that we can do 
will bring back those that are gone1 but
 we can save those that are left4       
,throughout our own country as well as  
many foreign countries1 people are      
waking up to the necessity of protecting
 wild life4 ,thousands of men and women 
are spending their time and money trying
 to save birds and other animals4 ,among
 the things they are doing is the       
establishing of refuges and game        
preserves1 working for better laws1 and 
teaching boys and girls to be careful of
 life and not wantonly to destroy it4   
,the most important thing that we can do

 to bring wild creatures back again is  
to let them alone4 ,man is their worst  
enemy1 and1 if he can be kept from      
hunting1 nearly all will be able to take
 care of themselves and increase in     
numbers4 ,we can help ,nature by        
supplying them with food when it is     
scarce and by protecting them from a few
 predatory animals and birds4 ,the worst
 of these are the cougar or mountain    
lion1 wild cat1 lynx1 wolves1 and       
coyotes2 the blue jay1 butcher bird1 and
 several of the hawks and owls4 ,the    
cougar is the worst of all1 for it has  
been estimated that one of these animals
 kills on the average fifty deer a year4
 ,many of the states offer bounties for 
the killing of the mountain lion and    
coyote4  ,ordinarily birds are able to  
secure their own food2 but sometimes    
during long1 snowy winters those that do
 not fly away ,south need food4 ,there  
are also many trees which bear fruit    
that is not much used by us but which is
 very attractive to the birds4 ,the     

planting of such trees aids in bringing 
birds to our homes and encourages their 
increase4    ,illustration3 ,we can help
 to conserve bird life by providing safe
   nesting places for our feathered     
friends4  ,the settlement of the lands  
suitable to farming has deprived some of
 the hoofed animals1 such as the elk1 of
 their natural feeding grounds4 ,the elk
 that are found in the summer in the    
meadows of the ,yellowstone ,park       
migrate in winter to the lower valleys  
outside of the park4 ,these valleys are 
mostly fenced up1 and to keep the elk   
from getting into trouble with the      
farmers it is often necessary for the   
government to buy hay and feed them4    
,in order to make sure that the wild    
animals shall be free to live and       
increase safe from the hunter1 we have  
established great game preserves in     
different parts of the country4 ,these  
are usually regions that are wild and   
unsettled and not useful for other      
purposes4 ,all the great ,national      

,parks which we are trying to keep in   
their natural condition with their      
animals1 birds1 and plants are now game 
preserves4 ,among them are the          
,yellowstone1 ,yosemite1 ,rainier1 and  
,crater ,lake parks4 ,visitors to these 
preserves are not allowed to carry any  
guns1 and wardens constantly patrol     
them4  ,the life of the ,yellowstone    
,park is wonderfully interesting4 ,here 
we find droves of many of the animals   
that were in danger of becoming extinct4
 ,among them are the buffalo1 elk1 and  
antelope4 ,here the grizzly and all the 
lesser bears are safe from the hunter4  
,they have almost lost their fear of man
 and come about the camps and hotels for
 food1 as the domestic animals do4 ,in  
the park are some colonies of beaver1   
too1 which will never again be disturbed
 by the fur hunter4 ,on the higher peaks
 are a few ,rocky ,mountain sheep4      
,another way in which we are protecting 
the wild animals is by making it legal  
to hunt them during only a short time   

each year4 ,this is called the open     
season4 ,in the case of some of the     
animals that are nearly extinct we have 
made a closed season extending through a
 number of years4 ,with this protection 
we are hoping that they will be saved   
and sometime become numerous again4 ,all
 our states have made game laws which   
give more or less protection to the     
deer1 elk1 moose1 antelope1 squirrel1   
and other animals4 ,in the case of some 
of these animals the females are        
absolutely protected1 and the number of 
the males--as of the deer1 for          
example--that may be killed in a season 
is often as small as two1 and in two    
states it is only one4 ,a heavy fine is 
imposed upon any one killing the        
protected animals or having their meat  
in his possession4  ,we are trying to   
protect the birds in much the same      
manner as the wild animals4 ,but because
 of their migrations this is much more  
difficult4 ,many kinds of birds travel  
with the changing seasons from north to 

south across different countries4 ,if   
the people of one country protect them  
and those of another do not1 they may   
easily become exterminated4 ,some       
species have become extinct in the last 
fifty years1 and others have been       
reduced to a few pairs in regions where 
they were once seen in thousands4       
,there are three things that have       
brought about this slaughter of the     
birds4 ,the first is hunting them for   
food4 ,this was not so serious until the
 market hunters began their work4 ,then 
the small game birds that were salable  
quickly began to disappear4 ,in most of 
our states the sale of game birds in the
 market is now prohibited4  ,another    
cause for the decrease in the birds is  
the wanton shooting of some just for    
sport1 and the hunting of others that   
are mistakenly supposed to be harmful4  
,we cannot wholly stop this until we    
teach people to respect the birds1 to   
love them for their music1 and to       
appreciate the great good which many of 

them do by their destruction of insects 
and small animal pests4  ,many of the   
birds which we have too often tried to  
kill or drive away are among the best   
friends we have4 ,when we have learned  
all about their habits and their food1  
we shall find that only a very few are  
really harmful1 and that the others     
abundantly repay the toll that they take
 of our produce4 ,the farmer and the    
fruit grower should be particularly     
interested in protecting and encouraging
 the birds4 ,if the birds pull up the   
sprouting seeds in your garden1 do not  
kill them but protect the plants with   
wire screens4 ,it is likely that these  
very birds feed largely upon the insects
 that are so harmful to your crops4  ,if
 the children in our schools could spend
 a little of their time in the          
interesting study of bird life1 we are  
sure that when they grow up the wanton  
destruction of birds will almost cease4 
,the ,boy ,scouts and the ,camp ,fire   
,girls are learning to love and respect 

life in the wilds and would not for     
anything injure its inhabitants4 ,the   
children of the ,agassiz ,associations  
and the ,junior ,audubon ,societies can 
also be proud of the work they are      
doing4 ,they are not only saving the    
birds about our homes but are attracting
 others by putting out food1 planting   
trees that bear attractive fruit1 and   
making nesting places for the birds4    
,illustration3 ,american ,forestry      
,association   ,the boys who are going  
to see that our wild life is protected4 
,the third important thing which has    
been bringing about the decrease of the 
birds is hunting them for their plumes4 
,for fifty years the demand for plumes  
for millinery purposes has been growing4
 ,the trade has spread until it now     
reaches the most remote islands of the  
sea4 ,no bird1 be its home in the most  
remote and inaccessible jungles1 has    
until recently been safe from the plume 
hunter4  ,now some of the foremost      
nations have passed laws for the        

protection of many of the water and     
jungle birds1 which1 unfortunately for  
themselves1 are so beautiful that milady
 longs to have them for her bonnet4     
,nearly all the states of our own land  
offer more or less protection to birds  
of beautiful plumage4 ,there is1        
however1 much yet to be done1 for in    
parts of our country birds that should  
be protected are still at the mercy of  
the plume hunter4  ,the ,migratory ,bird
 ,law recently passed by ,congress is   
one of the most important things which  
we have ever done for the birds4 ,this  
law protects the multitude of water     
birds as well as land birds1 that       
migrate with the changing seasons4 ,it  
is especially important that all such   
birds be protected in the regions where 
they nest4  ,in the case of the water   
birds the nests are often grouped in    
colonies in certain places and not      
scattered singly here and there as with 
most land birds4 ,thus when a colony1   
say of the heron1 tern1 or flamingo1 is 

found it is very easy for the hunter to 
break it up and destroy all the birds4  
,among the water birds the gulls1 terns1
 grebes1 herons1 egrets1 osprey1        
flamingos1 and pelicans have been so    
hunted for their plumes that some of    
them are almost extinct4 ,several of    
these species love the rocky coasts1    
where their nests are found upon the    
almost bare ledges of the cliffs4       
,others establish colonies about the    
marshy lagoons of the ,gulf and ,south  
,atlantic coasts and about the marshy   
shore of the lakes of the interior4     
,during recent years many bird refuges  
have been established in various parts  
of the country4 ,such refuges are now   
scattered all along the ,atlantic and   
,gulf coasts1 as well as at various     
other localities throughout the country 
which are favorite nesting places for   
the birds4 ,some of these refuges have  
been established and are guarded by the 
government2 others have been donated by 
wealthy persons who love birds and want 

to see them preserved4    ,illustration3
 ,e4 ,r4 ,sanborn1 ,n4 ,y4 ,zooelogical 
,society   ,a flock of wild duck4  ,the 
most beautiful of the water birds have  
been so relentlessly hunted by the plume
 gatherers that at the time of the      
establishment of the refuges some of    
them were almost extinct and it was     
feared the birds would not be able to   
survive4 ,but in most cases the effect  
of protection was magical4 ,the bird    
refuges in the ,southern coast islands  
and marshes which were almost deserted  
are now alive again with birds4 ,here we
 can get some idea of the wonderful     
richness of life before the bird hunters
 began their work4 ,even now1 in spite  
of the watchful patrols1 the hunters    
sometimes succeed in getting at the     
colonies4 ,in order to insure full      
protection the refuges must be extended 
and more patrols employed1 for such is  
the value of the plumes that desperate  
men will undergo great risks for the    
sake of obtaining them4  ,in order fully

 to stop this work1 all those countries 
where plumes are in demand must forbid  
their sale4 ,only when there is no more 
demand can we get rid of the hunters4   
,in our efforts to protect bird life1 we
 must not forget to take into account   
the instincts of our friend ,pussy4 ,it 
hardly seems as though the quiet house  
cat could do much harm1 but if you will 
watch one out of doors when the birds   
are around you will be convinced that   
,pussy is one of the worst enemies that 
small birds have4 ,cats destroy many    
thousands of birds throughout the       
country4 ,it is believed that they each 
average at least fifty birds killed     
every year4 ,if you will multiply this  
number by the number of cats in your    
neighborhood1 you will get some idea of 
the great losses among the birds due to 
the cats4 ,we must choose between ,pussy
 and the birds4  ,arbor ,day and ,bird  
,day in our schools help call to mind   
the claims ,nature has upon us4 ,we     
might celebrate them by planting trees  

which furnish food that the birds like1 
for the trees and birds go together4    
,how pleasant it will be when that happy
 time comes in which the wild creatures 
will cease to regard man as their worst 
enemy6 ,how pleasant it will be to go   
out through the fields and woods and    
along the shores and find that they look
 upon us as friends6  ,,the             
,,preceptor',s ,,plea ,,for ,,the       
,,birds    ,plato1 anticipating the     
,reviewers1       ,from his ,republic   
banished without pity   ,the ,poets2 in 
this little town of yours1      ,you put
 to death1 by means of a ,committee1    
,the ballad-singers and the             
,troubadours1      ,the street musicians
 of the heavenly city1   ,the birds1 who
 make sweet music for us all   ,in our  
dark hours1 as ,david did for ,saul4    
,the thrush that carols at the dawn of  
day      ,from the green steeples of the
 piny wood2   ,the oriole in the elm2   
the noisy jay1      ,jargoning like a   
foreigner at his food2   ,the bluebird  

balanced on some topmost spray1         
,flooding with melody the neighborhood2 
,linnet and meadow lark1 and all the    
throng   ,that dwell in nests1 and have 
the gift of song4    ,you slay them all6
 and wherefore8 for the gain      ,of a 
scant handful more or less of wheat1    
,or rye1 or barley1 or some other grain1
      ,scratched up at random by        
industrious feet1   ,searching for worm 
or weevil after rain6      ,or a few    
cherries1 that are not so sweet   ,as   
are the songs these uninvited guests    
,sing at their feast with comfortable   
breasts4    ,do you ne'er think what    
wondrous beings these8      ,do you     
ne'er think who made them1 and who      
taught   ,the dialect they speak1 where 
melodies      ,alone are the            
interpreters of thought8   ,whose       
household words are songs in many keys1 
,sweeter than instrument of man e'er    
caught6   ,whose habitations in the     
treetops even   ,are halfway houses on  
the road to heaven6    ,think1 every    

morning when the sun peeps through      
,the dim1 leaf-latticed windows of the  
grove1   ,how jubilant the happy birds  
renew      ,their old1 melodious        
madrigals of love6   ,and when you think
 of this1 remember too     ',tis always 
morning somewhere1 and above   ,the     
awakening continents1 from shore to     
shore1   ,somewhere the birds are       
singing evermore4    ,think of your     
woods and orchards without birds6       
,of empty nests that cling to boughs and
 beams   ,as in an idiot's brain        
remembered words      ,hang empty 'mid  
the cobwebs of his dreams6   ,will bleat
 of flocks or bellowing of herds        
,make up for the lost music1 when your  
teams   ,drag home the stingy harvest1  
and no more   ,the feathered gleaners   
follow to your door8    ,what6 would you
 rather see the incessant stir      ,of 
insects in the windrows of the hay1     
,and hear the locust and the grasshopper
      ,their melancholy hurdy-gurdies   
play8   ,is this more pleasant to you   

than the whir      ,of meadow lark1 and 
its sweet roundelay1   ,or twitter of   
little fieldfares1 as you take   ,your  
nooning in the shade of bush and brake8 
,you call them thieves and pillagers2   
but know      ,they are the winged      
wardens of your farms1   ,who from the  
cornfields drive the insidious foe1     
,and from your harvests keep a hundred  
harms2   ,even the blackest of them all1
 the crow1      ,renders good service as
 your man-at-arms1   ,crushing the      
beetle in his coat of mail1   ,and      
crying havoc on the slug and snail4     
,,henry ,w4 ,,longfellow1 ,the ,birds of
 ,killingworth     ,,index              
,abandoned farms1                       
#eb4   ,acacia tree1 gum arabic made    
from1                               #ie4
   ,adobe soil1                         
#eh4   ,a,eolian soil1                  
#ff4   ,africa1 need for protection of  
animals in1                      #ahj4  
,agassiz ,associations1 work of1        
#bjg4   ,air1 importance of pure1       

#aj4   ,alaska1 protection of fish in   
waters about1                     #agj4 
,alkali soil1                           
#ei4   ,alluvial soil1                  
#fd4   ,animals1 the first domestic1    
#e2     careless destruction of1        
#ab1 #di2     court of birds and1       
#ahh-aid2     predatory1                
#bjc4   ,antelope1 disappearance of1    
#agi2     in ,yellowstone ,park1        
#bje4   ,appalachian ,forest1 the1      
#acc-acd4   ,arabs1 life of the1        
#be4   ,arbor ,day1 celebration of1     
#baj2   ,argentine ant1 a plague1       
#aec4   ,australia1 rabbits as pests in1
                                 #aeb4  
,aztec ,indians1                        
#bj4    ,bacteria in soil1              
#ei-fj4   ,balance of nature1           
#aea2     effects of upsetting1         
#aea-aed4   ,barren ,lands1             
#aja4   ,bears1 in early times1         
#ba2     in ,yellowstone ,park1         
#bje4   ,beaver1 trapping of1           
#agi2     protection of1                

#bje4   ,big trees of ,california1      
#di1 #ii4   ,bird ,day1 observance of1  
#baj4   ,bird of paradise1 nearly       
extinct1                                
#ahg4   ,bird refuges1                  
#ahg1 #bjh-bji2     patrols for1        
#bji-baj4   ,birds1                     
#ba2     extinct species of1            
#bb2     destruction of1                
#di1 #agf-ahb2     hunting of1 for      
millinery purposes1                     
#ahc-ahg2     court of the1             
#ahh-aid2     our good friends and      
pleasant companions1                    
#aie-bjb2     predatory1                
#bjc2     national protection of1       
#bje-bjf4   ,black bears1 case of the1  
#aib-aic4   ,blue jays1                 
#ahi4   ,bobolink1 friends and enemies  
of1                               #ahi4 
,bone1 implements of1                   
#c4   ,boy ,scouts1 love of1 for wild   
creatures1                        #bjg4 
,broad-leaved and narrow-leaved trees1  
#ih4   ,bronze1 making of1              

#e4   ,browntail moth1                  
#aeb4   ,buffaloes1                     
#ba2     slaughter of1                  
#agg2     in ,yellowstone ,park1        
#bje4    ,california1 forests of1       
#di1 #ih2     big trees of1             
#ii4   ,california condor1 disappearance
 of1                            #ahj4   
,camp ,fire ,girls1 love of1 for wild   
creatures1                   #bjg4      
,camping parties1 forest fires started  
by1                       #abb4         
,canada1 beaver in1                     
#agi4   ,canada balsam1                 
#ic4   ,canals1 use of water for1       
#hg4   ,cats1 killing of birds by1      
#baj4   ,chesapeake ,bay1 fisheries of1 
#afg4   ,chestnut-tree blight1          
#ajg4   ,china1 results of destruction  
of vegetation in1               #gi-hj4 
,christmas decorations1                 
#adi4   ,cigarettes1 forest fires caused
 by1                             #abb4  
,citrus canker1                         
#aji4   ,city on the ,plain1 ,the1      

#ad4   ,clay1 a part of soil1           
#eh4   ,clay loam1                      
#eh4   ,closed season for hunting1      
#bje4   ,coal1 care necessary in use of1
                                  #ab2  
unequal distribution of1                
#bg2     deposits and mining of1        
#aee-aef2     waste connected with1     
#aef-aeg4   ,cod fisheries1             
#agj4   ,codling moth1                  
#aec4   ,colorado ,river1 mud carried   
by1                                     
#gc2     use of water of1 for           
irrigation1                             
#hg4   ,cone-bearing trees1             
#ih2     enemies of1                    
#aaj4   ,conservation1 meaning of1      
#h4   ,conservation commissions1        
#ach4   ,coon1 arguments for and against
 the1                            #aic4  
,cotton-boll weevil1                    
#aec4   ,cougar1 a predatory beast1     
#bjc4   ,coyotes1 killing of1           
#aeb2     defense of1                   
#aic4   ,crater ,lake ,national ,park1  

#adj4    ,deer1 killed by cougars1      
#bjc4   ,deltas of rivers1              
#dc1 #ee2     alluvial soil in1         
#fd4   ,desert1 results of lack of      
vegetation in the1                      
#gj-ga4   ,digger pines1                
#ii4   ,ducks1 complaints of oyster     
farmers against1 disproved1             
#aid4    ,egrets1 killing of1           
#ahe1 #ahg4   ,electricity1 harnessing  
of1                                     
#h2     use of water for making1        
#hh4   ,elephant1 urgent need of        
protection of1                          
#aha4   ,elk1                           
#ba2     hunting of1                    
#agi2     feeding grounds of1           
#bjd4   ,english sparrow1               
#aec2     should be driven out1         
#ahh4   ,erie ,canal1                   
#hg4   ,eskimos1 the1                   
#be2     wood lacking among1            
#hi4    ,farmers1 great value of work   
of1                                 #ea4
   ,feldspar1 rock grains called1       

#fc4   ,fertilizers1                    
#aa2     use of herring for1            
#afg4   ,field mice1 plagues of1        
#aea4   ,fire1 ignorance of early people
 concerning1                       #c2  
discovery of1                           
#c4     ,see ,forest fires4   ,fish1    
caring for1                             
#ad2     protection needed by1          
#afb-afe4   ,fish preserves1            
#afi-agj4   ,fish traps1                
#bb1 #afe-afi4   ,flamingos1 killing of1
                                        
#ahg4   ,flowers1 destruction of1       
#add-adi4   ,fool's gold1               
#fc4   ,forest fires1                   
#aaj-aaa1 #aai-abd2     steps taken by  
national government to prevent1         
#aca-ach4   ,forest rangers1 work of1   
#acd-acg4   ,forests1 effect of cutting 
down of1 on birds1                      
#bb2     unequal distribution of1       
#bf-bg2     destruction of1             
#cd2     effect of destruction of1 on   
soil1                   #cg-ch1 #dj-db2 

possible restoration of1                
#dg-di2     importance of1 to man1      
#hi-ie2     location of1                
#if-ajc2     special sources of damage  
to1                                     
#ajd-aaa2     various methods by which  
wasted1                                 
#aab-aah2     government protection of1 
#aca-ach2     ,national ,parks and      
,forests as playgrounds1                
#aci-adc4   ,france1 cutting of forests 
and careless pasturing in1              
#gi4   ,fruit trees1 enemies of1        
#ajg1 #aji4   ,fuel1 use of wood for1   
#ij2     use of peat for1               
#aee4   ,fur seals1 destruction of1     
#afe4    ,game preserves1               
#bjd-bje4   ,gas1 waste connected with1 
#aeg-afa4   ,glacial soil1              
#fe4   ,goats1 forests injured by1      
#aaa4   ,grand ,canon ,national ,park1  
#adj4   ,grasshoppers1 plagues of1      
#aji1 #aea4   ,great plains1            
#if4   ,grizzly bears1 destruction of1  
#agi1 #aib2     in ,yellowstone ,park1  

#bje4   ,gusher in ,california oil      
field1                            #aeh1 
#aei4   ,gypsy moth1                    
#ajf-ajg1 #aea4    ,hardwood trees1     
#ih4   ,hawks1 arguments for and        
against1                                
#ahi-aij4   ,heart of the ,tree1 ,the1  
#aci4   ,hens1 early ancestors of1      
#e4   ,herons1 hunting of1 for their    
plumage1                          #ahe4 
,herring1 waste in capture of1          
#aff-afg4   ,hessian fly1               
#aec4   ,houses1 the first1             
#c4   ,huckleberry shrub1 cutting of1   
#adg1 #adi4   ,humming birds1 use of    
skins of1 for capes1                    
#ahf4   ,humus1 in soil1                
#eg2     destruction of1 by forest      
fires1                         #abc1    
#abe4    ,indians1 life of1             
#ai-bc2     uses found by1 for wood1    
#ij2     fishing methods of1            
#afc4   ,insect enemies of trees1       
#ajf1 #aji1 #aaj1 #aeb-aed2     warfare 
waged against1 by forest rangers1       

#acf-acg2     eaten by birds1           
#aig-bjb4   ,in the ,heart of the       
,woods1                                 
#bd4   ,iron1 found in quartz sand1     
#eh4   ,irrigation1 storage of water    
for1                        #hd1 #he1   
#hg4   ,italy1 results of destruction of
 forests in1                 #gg1 #gi2  
wild chestnuts valued in1               
#ij2     scarcity of birds in1          
#aif4    ,jays1 arguments for and       
against1                                
#ahi4   ,jungle fowls1 wild1            
#e4   ,junior ,audubon ,societies1 work 
of1                              #bjg4  
,klamath ,lake1 bird refuge about1      
#ahg4   ,korea1 results of destruction  
of vegetation in1               #gi-hj2 
dikes built along rivers in1            
#hj4    ,lightning1 an enemy of the     
forest1                                 
#aaj-aaa2     fires started by1         
#aba4   ,limestone soils1               
#ei4   ,loam1 clay and sandy1           
#eh4   ,lobsters1 protection of1        

#afg4   ,los ,angeles1 water supply of1 
#bi-cj4   ,lumber1 an important use of  
trees1                                  
#ij4   ,lumbering1 waste of trees in1   
#aad-aah4    ,malheur ,lake1 bird refuge
 about1                                 
#ahg4   ,maple sugar1                   
#ic4   ,martins1 insects eaten by1      
#aii4   ,meadow larks1                  
#aia-aib4   ,medicinal products from    
trees1                                  
#ic1 #ie4   ,metals1 discovery of1      
#d-e4   ,mica1 in quartz sand1          
#eh4   ,migrations of birds1            
#bje-bjf4   ,migratory ,bird ,law1      
#bjj1 #bjh4   ,mills1 the first1        
#g4   ,mineral resources1 destruction   
and new supply of1             #di-ej4  
,mink1 points against and in favor of1  
#aic4   ,mississippi ,valley1 rich      
prairies of1                            
#ec-ed4   ,mistletoe1 an enemy of trees1
                                   #ajg4
   ,mocking bird1 song of1              
#aie4   ,mongoose1 as a pest1           

#aec1 #aed4   ,montenegro1 results of   
destruction of soil in1                 
#gi4    ,national ,forests1             
#acc-aci4   ,national ,parks1           
#ai1 #aci-adc2    are game preserves1   
#bjd-bje4   ,nets1 catching of fish in1 
#afg1 #afi4   ,new ,england1 soil of1   
#ea-ec2     gypsy and browntail moths   
in1                                     
#aeb2     beaver in1                    
#agi4   ,newfoundland banks1 fisheries  
of1                               #agj4 
,nitrogen1 in soil1                     
#eg2     stored in soil by plants1      
#gg4   ,norway rat1                     
#aec4    ,oil1 waste connected with1    
#aeg-afa4   ,open season for hunting1   
#bje4   ,orange orchards1 citrus canker 
in1                              #aji4  
,oregon1 protection of beaver in1       
#agi2     bird refuges in1              
#ahg4   ,owens ,river aqueduct1         
#bi4   ,owls1 good and bad points of1   
#aij-aia4   ,oysters1 raised on oyster  
farms1                                  

#afg4    ,palestine1 destruction of     
vegetation in1                          
#gi4   ,panama ,canal1                  
#hg4   ,passenger pigeon1 extermination 
of1                         #bb1 #ahj4  
,passing of the ,forest1 ,the1          
#acj4   ,pear blight1                   
#aji4   ,peat1 crumbling vegetation     
called1                                 
#eg2     use of1 for fuel1              
#aee4   ,peat soils1                    
#eh1 #ei1 #ff4   ,phosphorus in soil1   
#ei4   ,pine beetles1                   
#aaj4   ,pinon pines1                   
#ii4   ,plant food1                     
#de1 #fj4   ,plants1 enemies of1        
#ajd-aaa4   ,plumage1 hunting of birds  
for1                     #ahc-ahg1      
#bjg-bjh4   ,polar bear1 protection     
needed by1                              
#aha4   ,potash in soil1                
#ei4   ,powder1 discovery of1           
#h4   ,prairie chicken1 disappearance   
of1                              #ahj4  
,preceptor's ,plea for the ,birds1 ,the1

                      #baa-bab4         
,pueblo ,indians1                       
#ai-bj4    ,quail1 need for protection  
of1 to preserve from extinction1        
#ahj2     cheery call of1               
#aie2     value and attractiveness of1  
#bja2     insects eaten by1             
#bjb4   ,quartz1 in sand grains1        
#eh4   ,quinine1 made from cinchona     
tree1                                   
#ie4    ,rabbits1 as pests1             
#aeb4   ,rainier ,national ,park1       
#adj4   ,rats1 plagues of1              
#aea4   ,redwood trees1                 
#ii4   ,refuges for birds1              
#bb4   ,residual soil1                  
#fd4   ,rocks1 soil made from1          
#eh1 #fa-ff4   ,rocky ,mountain sheep1  
in ,yellowstone ,park1                  
#bje4   ,rubber trees1                  
#ic4    ,sage grouse1 need for          
protection of1                          
#ahj4   ,salmon fisheries1              
#afi-agj4   ,san ,joaquin ,valley1      
#aja4   ,san ,jose scale1               

#aji1 #aea1 #aec4   ,santa ,catalina    
,island1 fish preserve about1           
#afi4   ,sea lions1                     
#aid4   ,sea otter1 destruction of1     
#bb1 #afe2     protection of1 by law1   
#agi4   ,seals1 fur1                    
#bb2     hunting of1                    
#afe4   ,sequoias1                      
#ii1 #aae4   ,shad1 decrease in numbers 
of1                                     
#afi4   ,sheep1 damage done to forests  
by1                               #aaa4 
,shingle makers1 waste of trees by1     
#aae4   ,shore birds1 value of1         
#bjj4   ,sierra ,nevadas1 big trees on1 
#di2     changes in climate in ascent   
of1                         #aja1 #ajc2 
usefulness of woodpeckers in1           
#aii4   ,silt1                          
#ge4   ,skunks1 friends and enemies of1 
#aic4   ,soda in soil1                  
#ei4   ,soil1 care of the1              
#aa-ab2     effect of destruction of    
forests upon1               #cg-ch1     
#dj-db2     renewal of1 by nature1      

#de2     story of formation of1         
#ea-ef2     real wealth of world formed 
by1                                #ef2 
things of which made1                   
#eg-fj2     plant food in1              
#fj2     how made1                      
#fa-ff2     how vegetation holds1       
#fg-gb2     our most valuable           
possession1                             
#gd2     evil effects upon1 of no       
protecting carpet of vegetation1        
#gd-hj2     effect of1 on growth of     
trees1                                  
#aja4   ,songbirds1 hunting of1 for     
their plumage1                          
#ahe4   ,southern states1 destruction of
 soil in1                         #gg2  
turpentine from pine forests of1        
#ic4   ,spain1 waste of resources of1   
#be-bf2     results in1 of loss of soil1
                                   #gi2 
treatment of birds in1                  
#aif4   ,spruce forest1 destruction of1 
by forest fires1                 #abf4  
,squirrels1 nuts of trees eaten by1     

#aji2     ground1 as pests1             
#aeb4   ,stone1 implements of1          
#c4   ,sturgeon1 destructive fishing of1
                               #afg4    
,subsoil1                               
#fd4   ,sugar pines1                    
#ii2     nuts of1 eaten by squirrels1   
#aji2     careless cutting of1          
#aae4   ,swallows1 insects eaten by1    
#aii4   ,switzerland1 care of wood in1  
#ic1                               #aad4
   ,syria1 destruction of vegetation in1
                             #gi4       
,tamarack forests1 use of1              
#abf4   ,trees1 destruction of1         
#ab2     importance of1 to man1         
#hi-ie2     distribution of1 in ,united 
,states1                                
#if-ajc2     enemies of1                
#ajd-aaa2     the careless wasting of1  
#aaa-aah4   ,tundras of far ,north1     
#aja4   ,turpentine obtained from yellow
 pines1                           #ic4  
,valley lands1                          
#dj1 #db2     fertility of1             

#ec2     alluvial soil in1              
#fd4   ,vegetation1 holding of soil by1 
#fg-gb2     results of lack of1         
#gc-hj4    ,walrus1 nearly extinct1     
#afe4   ,water1 obtaining of pure1      
#aj-aa2      home of1 the ocean1        
#ha2     use and care of1               
#ha-hh4   ,water creatures1 need for    
protection of1                          
#afb-agj4   ,water power1 use of1       
#aeg4   ,water supply1 effect upon1 of  
cutting of forests1           #abg-abi4 
,weasels1 defense of1                   
#aic4   ,white ,mountain ,forest1 the1  
#acd4   ,white-pine blister1            
#ajg4   ,wild flowers1 necessity for    
care of1                                
#add-adi4   ,wind1 effect of1 on soil1  
#fe-ff2    an enemy of the forests1     
#aaj4   ,wood alcohol1                  
#aag4   ,woodpeckers1 usefulness of1    
#aih4    ,yangtse-kiang1 soil carried   
away by1                                
#hj4   ,yellow ,sea1 reason for name1   
#hj4   ,yellowstone ,national ,park1    

#adj2     a game preserve1              
#bjd-bje2     animal life in1           
#bje4   ,yosemite ,national ,park1      
#adj4     ,,new-,,world ,,science       
,,series  ,edited by ,john ,w4 ,ritchie 
,,trees1 ,,stars and ,,birds  ,a ,,book 
,,of ,,outdoor ,,science  ,by ,,edwin   
,,lincoln ,,moseley  ,head of the       
,science ,department1 ,state ,normal    
,college of ,northwestern ,ohio  ,the   
usefulness of nature study in the       
schools has been seriously limited by   
the lack of a suitable textbook4 ,it is 
to meet this need that ,trees1 ,stars1  
and ,birds is issued4 ,the author is one
 of the most successful teachers of     
outdoor science in this country4 ,he    
believes in field excursions1 and his   
text is designed to help teachers and   
pupils in the inquiries that they will  
make for themselves4  ,the text deals   
with three phases of outdoor science    
that have a perennial interest1 and it  
will make the benefit of the author's   
long and successful experience available

 to younger teachers4  ,the first       
section deals with trees1 and the       
discussion of maples is typical3 the    
student is reminded that he has eaten   
maple sugar2 there is an interesting    
account of its production2 the fact is  
brought out that the sugar is really    
made in the leaves4 ,the stars and      
planets that all should know are told   
about simply and clearly4 ,the birds    
commonly met with are considered1 and   
their habits of feeding and nesting are 
described4 ,pertinent questions are     
scattered throughout each section4  ,the
 book is illustrated with #afg          
photographs1 #fi drawings1 #i star maps1
 and with #af color plates of #eh birds1
 from paintings by ,louis ,agassiz      
,fuertes4  ,it is well adapted for use  
in junior high schools1 yet the         
presentation is simple enough for pupils
 in the sixth grade4  ,cloth1 viii  #djd
  xvi pages4 ,price #a4fj    ,,world    
,,book ,,company                        
,,yonkers-,,on-,,hudson1 ,,new ,,york   

#babf ,,prairie ,,avenue1 ,,chicago     
,illustration  ,,elizabeth ,v4          
,,brown',s  ,,nature ,,and ,,industry   
,,readers  ,these books draw upon the   
world's best literature1 and present    
well-selected nature material and       
stories of industry4 ,they are adapted  
for use either as readers1 or to        
supplement nature1 geography1 and       
history lessons4   ,,stories ,,of       
,,woods ,,and ,,fields  ,alluring       
stories of animals1 with chapters on our
 national holidays ,for fourth and fifth
 grades4  ,cloth4 #aib pages4           
,illustrated in colors4 ,price #gb      
cents4   ,,when ,,the ,,world ,,was     
,,young  ,a fascinating story of the    
development of modern means of          
communication1 transportation1          
agriculture1 etc4 ,affords material for 
supplementary history lessons4 ,for     
fifth or higher grades4  ,cloth4 #afj   
pages4 ,illustrated4 ,price #fd cents4  
,,stories ,,of ,,childhood ,,and        
,,nature  ,stories of unusual interest1 

by some of the greatest and most gifted 
authors4 ,much of the material is of    
pronounced geographic value4 ,for fifth 
and sixth grades4  ,cloth4 #bbb pages4  
,illustrated4 ,price #fh cents4  ,,world
 ,,book ,,company                       
,,yonkers-,,on-,,hudson1 ,,new ,,york   
#babf ,,prairie ,,avenue1 ,,chicago