36 



Conservation Reader 



W. Fairbanks 



The rocky land of the poor people. 



protected slopes and run off in muddy torrents, taking along 

 some of the soil. Thus each succeeding year there is less 

 plant food for the crops. 



How did this country, once rich and fruitful, become so 

 barren ? We are sure from what we know of Nature's ways 

 that she is not the cause of the trouble. Through greed 

 and ignorance of how to take care of their land the present 

 inhabitants have wasted and squandered its wealth until 

 it has become almost a desert. 



We can do things with Nature, and direct many of her 

 forces so that they will work for our good. We cannot, 

 however, as we have learned, change the amount of rain 

 that falls, nor can we make it warmer or colder. 



How, then, are these poor people to blame for the condi- 

 tion of their country? The troubles which overtook them 

 came from two things. In the first place they did not know 

 how to take care of their rich land, and in the second place 

 they were greedy and wanted to become wealthy faster 

 than they ought. 



