Music of the Wild 



originally given to us was almost solid forest. 

 Barring the oceans, a few places of desertness, the 

 mountains and swamps, deep forest covered the 

 greater portion of the remaining surface at the 

 advent of man. A few feet of digging will un- 

 cover the roots of extinct forests where some of 

 our desert land now lies. 



What the character of the chorus of the for- 

 est must have been in those days one can not imag- 

 ine. The notes of our great tree harps were the 

 first sacrificed. Before the advance of civilization 

 the trees must fall to build homes, for fires, to 

 clear space for cultivation, and to provide furni- 

 ture and implements. As the trees vanished not 

 only their music ceased, but the songs of all the 

 inhabitants of their branches and the residents of 

 the earth beneath them. The voice of the forest 

 was hushed. 



So completely were the trees wiped out that 

 not even decayed specimens, the big bass-drums, 

 were left for the birds. Men saw many places 

 where they could use a hollow tree, and save much 

 time and expense. So the pump and the watering- 

 trough were made of them. Also the bee-hive, 

 smoke-house, ash hopper, hen's nest, sugar-water 

 trough, feeding-troughs of all sizes, the dog ken- 

 nel, bread tray, and first and most important of 

 all should have been mentioned the cradle. Hol- 

 low trees were used in ditches where we now place 

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