Could We Get Along without the Trees? 93 



wood that is wasted that is likely to bring us to want. Two 

 thirds of the wood of the trees cut throughout our country- 

 is wasted in its manufacture into lumber and other objects. 

 Besides this, as much wood is burned every year in needless 

 forest fires as is cut by the lumberman. -The waste of trees 

 that are cut merely for their bark which is used in tanning 

 leather is a wrong for which Nature will sometime call us 

 to account. 



In Switzerland, where the forests are given the care that 

 we bestow upon a garden, not a particle of wood is allowed' 

 to go to waste. The branches are all picked up and saved. 

 Even the sawdust is made use of in the manufacture of wood 

 alcohol, which has an important use as fuel. 



There are many kinds of trees the sap of which has great 

 value. If care is used in tapping the trees, they are not 

 greatly injured and will live for years. Sap of the maple 

 affords delicious maple sugar. The sticky sap of the conif- 

 erous trees is obtained by making a cut in the bark. Canada 

 balsam, thus obtained, is a clear liquid from a fir tree of 

 the same name. It is the finest of all the turpentines and 

 is used for many purposes in the arts. Enormous quanti- 

 ties of turpentine are obtained from the yellow pines. The 

 pine forests of the Southern states supply nearly all our 

 turpentine. Ifrom this by a process of distillation is ob- 

 tained resin and spirits of turpentine. 



The rubber tree found in the tropical forests has become 

 one of the most necessary of trees. Rubber made from the 

 sap of this tree is now used for many purposes for which we 

 have been able to find no other material. 



We sometimes forget how valuable trees are for various 

 substances used in medicine. Our lives may depend on 



