122 Conservation Reader 



brush and thus obtain better feed for their cattle and sheep. 

 These men often care nothing for the forests or for the 

 preservation of the summer water flow. They would, 

 indeed, be pleased to see all the forests burned away if by 

 that means they could increase their feed. If you could 

 travel through some of the mountainous portions of the 

 Southwest, you would see how much harm has been done 

 in this way to the trees, the streams, and the soil. 



It is a hot summer day and two men are riding along a 

 mountain road. One of them thoughtlessly throws away 

 a lighted cigarette, which falls upon some dry pine needles. 

 In a few moments the pine needles are ablaze. The fire 

 spreads with incredible rapidity and a great column of 

 smoke rises above the treetops. Before any one can reach 

 it, the fire is sweeping up the mountain side, and it may not 

 be stopped before it has destroyed thousands of acres of 

 valuable timber. All this terrible loss is due to one careless 

 man who, in the first place, should not have been smoking 

 cigarettes, and in the second place should have known 

 better than to throw a spark into the forest powder magazine. 



Some campers, enjoying the summer in the mountains, 

 go away leaving their fire burning. By and by a stick 

 burns outward until the fire reaches the leaves, or a gust of 

 wind comes along and carries a spark to them. In the hot 

 sun the leaves and needles are almost as easy to ignite as 

 powder, and in a few moments another fire is making head- 

 way into the surrounding forest. 



A farmer clearing land thinks he can get rid of the brush 

 and young trees more easily by burning. But the under- 

 growth is drier than he thought, and, the wind coming up 

 unexpectedly; the fire is soon beyond his control. It may 



