gradually seeps down to the forest streams and con- 

 sequently these streams show little fluctuation in the 

 water-level. Only a small part of the water is ab- 

 sorbed by the soil and gravel and the remainder 

 drains rapidly away, carrying with it soil, until 

 streams overflow their banks and ruin fertile fields 

 along their course. Often this heavy flow of w r ater 

 causes floods with great danger to life and property. 



In Minnesota many cities have built up different in- 

 dustries which depend largely on water power for 

 successful operation. If forests are not plentiful, the 

 streams which furnish power, will dry up and the 

 industry, which depends upon them, will be ruined. 



In Winter and early Spring when masses of snow 

 have been accumulating on treeless slopes, land and 

 snow slides frequently occur with disastrous results 

 to life and property. 



The forest resources of Minnesota have been re- 

 garded as inexhaustible so that no where has care 

 been exercised to replenish the consumption, but we 

 are taking on the average forty cubic feet of wood 

 per acre per year from our forests. Since the average 

 growth is not at present more than twelve cubic feet 

 per acre per year, it is evident that we are consuming 

 wood more than three times as fast as it can be pro- 

 duced in our forests. 



If sandy soil is exhausted it may be renewed to 

 its former productiveness by the growth of trees on it 

 for a number of years. The reason for this is that 

 the leaves and roots decay and furnish plant food to 

 the soil. 



We could do little in the way of ornamenting our 



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