How the Forests Are Wasted 



113 



H. W . Fairhanus 

 The farmer wastes the trees by girdling them and then allowing them to rot. 



There is now enough land so that it is no longer necessary 

 to destroy the trees in order to raise our food supplies. The 

 forests constitute one of the great natural resources of our 

 country and men should not be allowed to waste them for 

 private gain. 



Although the need for more land has long passed, the 

 habit of reckless tree cutting still continues. There are 

 now parts of the East where none of the primeval forest 

 remains and very little of the second growth. Firewood is 

 expensive and many a farmer has to buy coal, who, if he 

 and his ancestors had been careful, might have a woodlot 

 to supply not only fuel, but lumber for his buildings. 



Many of the lands once cleared were found not suited to 

 farming and have been left to grow up to brush. If the 

 farmer were wise he would replant some of these lands 

 with such trees as spruce, hickory, walnut, or maple. Al- 

 though his ancestors toiled early and late to get these 



