FORESTRY 



337 



(an area of two hundred square miles) were covered 

 with forests and gave rich crops of lumber a century ago. 

 Practically all the soil has been washed away, leaving 

 only bare rock, on which no soil is now forming, because 

 of the heavy rains. 



FIG. 176. This forest has been burned twice. No young trees are left to 

 make a new forest. 



Nothing can hurt the farmer more than to have the 

 forests destroyed. If the lumberman would cut only 

 the old trees, leaving the younger ones to grow, it would 

 not hurt the forest. Then the forest would last forever 

 and would yield a good crop of lumber every year. 

 But the lumberman usually prefers to cut the forest 

 down all at once and destroy it, because he can make 



