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About Swimmin' Holes and Such 



j]OU put the boys in 

 last time," said the 

 older girl, " and it 

 seems to me that 

 girls ought to be 

 in. You know it is 

 ' forestry for boys 

 and girls.' " 



"Yes; but that 

 was about fishing. 

 And you don't care 

 so much about fish- 

 ing as they do." 

 " But we care about the trees and the 

 water just as much as they do. And we 

 use the water more than they do." 



She had me there. When I thought of 

 all the times— indeed before every meal 

 —that the boys had to be strongly re- 

 minded that water was needed on their 

 grimy paws ere they could come to the 

 table, I had to give up. Even then the 

 older girl pressed her advantage, and the 

 younger, also, chimed in: 



" Besides, we can swim all over the 

 pool under the big waterfall, and the boys 

 can't. The water means more to us than 

 it does to them. So you've got to give the 

 girls a chance." 



" But, you must remember, I'm not 

 supposed to tell things about boys and 

 girls— only about trees and forests." 



"Then," said the younger, with a 

 gleam of triumph, " what did you 

 say anything about the boys for last 

 time? " 



" That," I repUed feebly, " was to add 

 Human Interest." 



"Well, aren't we Human Interest?' 

 chimed in both girls at once. 



So, of course, I had to let them have 

 their way, and to own that even the poets 

 say " there isn't any story till the girl 

 comes in!" Then they proceeded to 

 dictate what I had to say, following up 

 their victory. It was about like this : 

 " Tell those other boys and girls that 



we believe in trees, and that we know 

 that we would not have any swimming 

 holes if it were not for the forests." 



INDEED it is true. In our own creek, 

 which flows so clear all summer long, 

 there might be holes under the water- 

 falls, but if there were no trees along 

 the upper part of the stream, there would 

 be a heavy run-off after each rain, with 

 mud to fill up the stream-bed, and to make 

 the bottom slimy and slippery. Then, 

 when the hot weather comes, and only a 

 little rain, the stream would stop flowing, 

 and what few pools were left would be 

 stagnant and warm, and covered with 

 green scum, instead of being cool and 

 clear and fresh. 



But it isn't only the swimming and the 

 fishing that suffer from a lack of forests 

 and a resulting bad efiect on the streams. 

 Think of all the other uses of water ! Not 

 counting the water which acts on mill 

 wheels and grinds grain, or runs saw- 

 mills, or even makes electricity to light 

 cities, to move electric cars, to heat build- 

 ings, to turn machinery, to bake biscuits, 

 and to do all sorts of other things ! Not 

 counting rivers and canals for the passage 

 of boats! But just think how we need 

 water in our houses, for drinking and for 

 washing ourselves and our dishes, our 

 floors, and our clothes ! Wouldn't we be 

 in a bad way if we didn't have fresh, pure, 

 clear, clean water? 



TO be sure of such water we need 

 the forests. In the West, not less 

 than twelve hundred towns and 

 cities get their water supplies from 

 the tree-covered slopes of the National 

 Forests. In the East, many of our cities, 

 like Boston, have their forests to protect 

 and to keep steady and pure the city's 

 supply of water. 

 Then, if we cut off our forests vnll we 



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