Conservation of Natural Resources in California. 



87 



staggers the imagination, and yet the amount of timber cut for pulp 

 in the United States annually is less than 5 per cent of what is cut 

 for lumber. 



It would seem that we can not afford much longer to read. Neither 

 shall we long be able to write. Last year we made more than 315,000,000 

 lead pencils. A lead pencil is not very large, but the total number of 

 lead pencils required 7,300,000 cubic feet of cedar. We have cedar 

 enough to last us just twelve years. 



More than 100,000 acres of timber in the whole United States are cut 



Slaughter of the forest. The trees are chopped down, peeled, and then the whole 

 surface of the forest is burnt to the bone, so that the logs may be easily and 

 cheaply dragged out. 



over every working day. We use many times more timber per capita 

 than any other nation. 



We have left not over 450,000,000 acres bearing commercial timber. 

 Cast up in your mind some of the small demands of industry noted 

 above. Multiply this by three or four to represent the total, including 

 all sorts of sawn lumber. Remember that you are dealing in terms of 

 millions of acres. Divide 450,000,000 by your total number of millions 

 of known demand. What is the result ? Do you find it pleasant ? Do 

 you remain willing to listen to the charming of those who are either 

 ignorant or hypocritical in their "estimates?" 



