172 CHILDREN'S GARDENS 



Snows of winter pile up in the woods, and pro- 

 tected by the trees, melt very slowly in the spring. 

 At the foot of the trees, the roots near the surface 

 ridge the ground, forming shallow basins which, in 

 the aggregate, will retain for short periods vast quan- 

 tities of water. 



All of this soaking up and holding back of rain 

 water by the forests is of direct and immediate bene- 

 fit to mankind. It means plenty of lumber for the 

 arts and trades; it means never- failing springs and 

 constant rivers; it means beautiful lakes, filled with 

 fish; it means water power for machinery; it means 

 abundant water supply for great cities; it means val- 

 uable recreation grounds for the tired and sick; it 

 means game; it means a cooler climate in summer. 



On bare hillsides without trees. A sudden heavy 

 rainfall pours down with no intervening leaves and 

 branches to slacken it, as it approaches the earth. 

 The surface ground is baked hard and dry without 

 the protection of leaves or moss, often without even 

 grass, and frequently burned over, and before rain 

 can begin to soak in, a thousand tiny rivulets merge 

 in streams, which come together in a raging torrent, 

 which sweeps earth and bowlders before it, and tears 

 a gash in the hillside. In a few hours it has passed, 

 leaving a great scar, and the earth is dry again. 



On many hillsides this happens again and again 

 every season, and some great river which carries these 

 torrents to the ocean is always muddy. What makes 

 it muddy? The most valuable asset of the farmer, 



