28 OUR VANISHING FORESTS 



Take lead pencils for instance. They are made in 

 the United States at the rate of over a billion a year 

 and require such an amount of wood that eastern 

 red cedar and juniper have already become scarce 



From the use of wood we obtain pleasure in many ways. 



and a hunt is on for other suitable species. Pencil 

 manufacture is a fastidious operation using only the 

 finest heart-wood of the evergreen cedar. It seems 

 a curious waste. The writing qualities of a pencil 

 are in no way improved by the character of the 



