FOREST TREES 



stitute the last remnants of a mighty 

 race that covered vast areas in North 

 America and Europe in past geologi- 

 cal ages. It is believed that their 

 days are almost over, for the big tree 

 groves are few in number and small in 

 extent, and even these are falling rap- 

 idly under the ax and saw. Nor does 

 this species appear to reproduce itself 

 easily; for, although numberless seeds 

 fall from the old trees, they rarely 

 sprout, and therefore are slow to re- 

 place what has been taken away. The 

 redwoods, too, are threatened with ex- 

 tinction, though they still cover consid- 

 erable tracts along the northern half of 

 the California coast. They are coveted 

 even more than the big trees and are 

 disappearing with a rapidity that only 

 modern industry has made possible. 



55 



