494 SCIENCE OF HOME AND COMMUNITY 



fully matured trees are cut, the smaller trees being allowed 

 to grow till ready to be cut. When sections of the forest 

 lands are found which are adapted to agriculture these 

 are given out as homesteads. In some forests cattle and 

 sheep are allowed to graze. Campers and other pleasure 

 seekers are encouraged to use the forests. Furthermore, 

 opportunity is given here for game to increase. So that 

 the purpose is not to withdraw the forests from use, as 

 is sometimes erroneously thought, but to make them as 

 useful as possible and to place them under scientific manage- 

 ment. 



The following figures suggest the extent to which they are 

 being used. These forests are supplying annually fuel and 

 fencing to the value of $196,000 to 38,000 people living near. 

 The receipts from the forests for the year ending June 30, 

 1917, were $3,450,000. The forests furnish opportunity for 

 grazing to 1,500,000 cattle and horses and to more than 

 14,000,000 sheep. 1175 towns and cities and 324 irrigation 

 and power projects took their water from streams that had 

 their headwaters in the national forests. 



In the care of these national forests, scientific forestry is 

 practiced. This consists essentially in ihree things: first, 

 in cutting only the large, mature trees, leaving the others to 

 grow; second, in providing seedlings and young trees to 

 take the place of those being cut; and third, in protecting 

 the forests from fires and other enemies. 



The big trees. There has recently been set aside as a 

 national park, an area in California that contains the famous 

 big trees. These are the most marvelous trees in this 

 country and perhaps in the world. 



Some of the largest of these have received special names, 

 such as General Sherman and General Grant. General 

 Sherman, the largest of all, is 279.9 f eet high an d 36.5 feet 

 in diameter. It is believed to be about 3500 years old. It 

 was a seedling in the days of Moses. When Jesus was born, 



