PLAN OF REGIONAL DESCRIPTIONS. 29 



water, wet summers, streams comparatively free from 

 mud, and sandy soils poor in potassium, if not in other 

 elements of fertility. Just which of these factors are 

 fundamental and which are secondary is not at present 

 obvious. 



Economic aspects. — In taking stock of our forest re- 

 sources it is of course of the utmost importance to de- 

 termine not only the composition of the forests but also 

 the amount of forest still standing. No recent statistics 

 on the latter point for areas smaller than the whole 

 state, and taking into consideration both cultivated and 

 abandoned fields, are available, so that only rough esti- 

 mates can be given. But the amount of cleared land is 

 pretty closely correlated with density of population, and 

 that is known with considerable accuracy. The figures 

 for the population of each region have been deduced 

 from the reports of the 13th Census of the United 

 States, and ought to be reasonably accurate. The chief 

 difficulty here is due to the fact that the census figures 

 are given for counties and other civil divisions, which 

 do not correspond very closely with natural divisions. 

 The best that can be done in the absence of maps show- 

 ing beats is to combine the areas and populations of all 

 counties wholly or mainly included in a given region, and 

 make the computations accordingly. 



It is a very obvious fact, though not often mentioned, 

 that in a state as thickly settled as Alabama our friend 

 the farmer has done more damage to the forests than 

 all other agencies combined, for his operations involve a 

 total destruction of the forest in the areas he cultivates. 

 A great deal of this destruction is of course unavoidable ; 

 but if the farmers could be taught to cultivate more in- 

 tensively and use less wasteful methods a much larger 

 area could be kept forested. 



The conservationists are inclined to blame the lumber- 

 man most for the rapid exhaustion of the forests which 

 our generation is witnessing. Dr. J. B. Killebrew, in an 

 address delivered at the Tennessee Centennial Exposi- 

 tion in 1897, spoke of lumbering practices in that state in 

 the following vigorous language: "Our present destruc- 

 tive methods combine the stupidity of unthinking bar- 



