54 SCHOOL AGRICULTURE 



the forest until no two are within fifty steps of each other. With 

 paper and pencil let each pupil make note of the forest where he is 

 standing, as follows: 



1. Condition of crown, whether open or closed. 



2. Tree-boles, whether clean, straight, etc. 



3. Forest floor, whether grassy or rich in leaf mould. 



4. Kind of trees. 



2. A "Forest Museum." Let the teacher and pupils start a little 

 museum containing samples of forest products, collections of woods, 

 tree-seeds and other materials derived from the forest. These speci- 

 mens should be so arranged that they may be handled and passed 

 about from pupil to pupil without injury. 



LESSON XVI. 

 THE: NATIONAL FORESTS. 



"This is the forest primeval, the murmuring pines and the hemlocks, 

 Bearded with moss and in garlands green, indistinct in the twilight, 

 Stand like Druids of old, with voices sad and prophetic." 



Conservation, the Policy. Destructive lumbering and 

 wasteful use have wrought havoc with the forests. Forest 

 fires have swept over thousands of acres of timber land, de- 

 stroying not only the trees, both old and young 1 ,, but even eat- 

 ing out the rich soil, the accumulation of ages. There follows 

 the washing away of unprotected soil on deforested slopes and 

 destructive freshets which cover the lowlands with deposits 

 of sand and mud. To prevent this waste of the wealth of the 

 nation, Congress has established the National Forests. The 

 spirit which controls the administration of these National For- 

 ests may be set forth in the words, "careful use." Rang- 

 ers patrol the forests to protect them from misuse and destruc- 

 tion. Live stock are. grazed on the forest, but the number is 

 limited; water power is not cut off from use, and lumbering 



