171 



peoples of the higher latitudes are more stimulated and intellectually 

 energetic than those of lower latitudes due to a periodically greater 

 amount of atmospheric ozone, the disjointed first part is a restate- 

 ment of his well-known and certainly obvious contention that 

 movements of population must follow the great pulsations of 

 climate. Perhaps being more a geographer than a prophet, Hunt- 

 ington has not asked but has answered the question : If the climate 

 of an agricultural region changes, so that it no longer is able to 

 support a large population, what are the people living there going 

 to do about it ? In the previous chapter, and anticipating Hunting- 

 ton, Sears intimates that much of the present wasteland in areas 

 once heavily populated can be blamed on the unwillingness of the 

 people to practice adequate methods of conservation — that a fertile 

 land is soon laid waste by incorrect cropping methods. It is the 

 opinion of this reviewer, based on his own observations in sub- 

 marginal agricultural regions, that both forces — sometimes working 

 concurrently — have been operative in the deterioration of agri- 

 cultural land. 



The last section of the volume is entitled "The administrative 

 task of conservation — private and public." Again, four topics are 

 discussed. These are: "On total conservation" by Morris L. Cooke; 

 "Natural resources and the States" by Samuel T. Dana; "Federal 

 responsibility in total conservation" by Milton S. Eisenhow^er; and 

 "The forest problem can be solved by increased production" by 

 Julian F. McGowin. 



McGowin, a commercial lumberman with a sympathetic view 

 toward conservation — both from a social and business standpoint — 

 takes the stand that we have adequate forest resources ; that all 

 we need to do is to put them to use. He follows this by a plea for 

 more government direction of conservation, especially fire protec- 

 tion. Dana closes his discussion with the pointed question : "We 

 readily spend billions of dollars to prevent our natural resources 

 from falling into the hands of a foreign enemy. Have we not the 

 vision to spend a far smaller amount in assuring their perpetuation 

 in the ownership of our own people, with ample opportunity for 

 individual initiative under a democratic system of government? 

 Eisenhower, in his discussion, holds that the responsibility for con- 

 servation lies w^th the Federal Government, pointing out a tiling 

 which many individuals do not realize : that in the last several 



