SUMMARY OF LIFE IN THE WOODS 293 



writer is not able to give a satisfactory explanation of the 

 phenomenon. 



What becomes of the water which soaks into the ground ? 

 At the foot of a hill we found one large and a great number 

 of small springs. All the springs united to form a little 

 stream. The boys told us that the springs and the stream 

 never dry up, and that their size is but little affected by 

 those droughts which dry up many small prairie streams. 

 We walked down the little stream to the large creek, and in 

 both we observed the current to be very much retarded by 

 fallen leaves, twigs, branches, and trees. 



From this and former observations and lessons we learn, 

 that forests feed springs, brooks, and creeks, and that they tend 

 to regulate the water supply for our large rivers and lakes. 

 The difference between high and low water would not be so 

 great as it is now if our whole country ivere well wooded. 



We also observed that washouts are not so common in 

 the woods as they are in open fields. On many mountain 

 slopes the soil would be entirely washed away if it were 

 not held by roots of trees and other plants ; steep slopes 

 should therefore never be deforested. The roots of trees pene- 

 trate the ground to a much greater depth than the roots of 

 grasses and herbs. Decayed roots, trunks, branches, and 

 leaves have formed a layer of black soil in our deciduous 

 forests several feet thick, much thicker than on the prairies. 

 We have also observed that woods and groves are very im- 

 portant wind-breaks against the scorching south wind as 

 well as against the icy blizzard. 



75. Forests and Man. 



The teacher may here call the attention of the children to 

 the endless variety of products which man derives directly 

 and indirectly from the forests, and to some of the trades 

 and occupations that depend on the forest. 



