SOME SPECIALIZING FLOWERS 111 



because of the floods, but because the springs of 

 Spain, France, Italy and Turkey, that had been per- 

 ennial for ages, were drying up, and the people 

 were clamoring for their water supply. The differ- 

 ent Governments became interested in the subject, 

 and made provision for studying the effects of for- 

 ests on climate and industries in their countries. 

 Now, most of the European nations have forest 

 academies where men go to study all the questions 

 relating to forestry and to man's relation to it. They 

 have, too, certain governmental regulations for the 

 cutting of trees, so that no slope that commands the 

 water supply of a region shall be denuded. Old 

 trees can be felled only when young ones are ready 

 to take their places. This pertains to private owner- 

 ship. Just because a man holds deed to an acreage 

 gives him no privilege to cut trees to the detriment 

 of the public good. 



In the United States, we are only beginning to 

 consider the question. Here in California we are 

 slaughtering the trees in such a ruthless way that 

 the foresters of France, Italy, Sweden, Germany 

 and Russia all hold up their hands in horror at our 

 ignorance. In our Forest Reserves, there are rules 

 for scientific lumbering on the public lands, but at 

 present there is no law to limit the cutting on pri- 

 vate holdings. John Smith today has the legal right 

 to fell every standing tree on his possession, no mat- 



