A MUTILATED LAND, 5 



The South suffers every year from Northern heedlessness. 

 The headwaters of our great rivers have been denuded. The 

 bottom of the Mississippi Is constantly filling up. There must 

 be great expense In keeping those banks from breaking and 

 pouring the floods over vast areas. Almost every spring there 

 Is danger of an overflow. And all this is the result of the self- 

 ish Indifference of men who cannot look beyond their own pock- 

 ets. As the result of this barbarism a mighty timber famine 

 Is upon us. With the growth of our civilization more and more 

 timber will be needed when there will be less and less. The 

 loam from our rich prairie farms is being rapidly washed away, 

 and there Is no thought of retaining the escaping soil. Stand 

 by any of our western streams after a heavy rain, and they are 

 thick with mud. Thoy are bearing the very, cream of the land 

 down to the gulf. I have known a heavy rain to carry away 

 the entire furrow, just leaving the marks of the plow behind. 

 Strange that the farmer should join the lumberman in the awful 

 mutilation. In the future the devastation from' the floods will 

 be greater rather than less. And when we think that all this 

 could be prevented, there comes a stinging sense of wrong. This 

 Is a dark picture, but It is true. In some respects our vaunted 

 civilization is double distilled barbarism. 



The wild Indian in the darkest depths of savagery nevei 

 dreamed of such soulless, heartless murder. He would not think 

 of charring dear old Mother Earth to cinders — stabbing, scar- 

 ring and scalping her, despoiling her of her glorious beauty, 

 making her sit in dust and ashes. 



The Restoration. — ^When we think of these awful devasta- 

 tions wrought in so short a time, there is no wonder that in 

 the last few years a strong forestry department has arisen which 

 will soon demand the services of thousands of skilled men. No 

 wonder that forestry societies spring up in almost every state 

 and that men with soul aflame would, if possible, dip their pens 

 in liauld fire and write words that would burn. 



Though this picture is so dark and the desolation wrought in 

 a short time is so fearful yet we need not despair. Suddenly 

 the eyes of the nation have been opened and an interest un- 

 known has been awakened. 



After ages of loss and waste the nations of Europe awoke. 

 Forests were replaced and millions of acres of drifting sands 

 were crowned with woodland beauty. The conditions today are 

 better than ever. We have an efficient forest bureau, a Pres- 

 ident who loves our mountains and trees, and a Secretary of 

 Agriculture who reflects the will of the people. We have forest 

 reserves of millions of acres. The Government holds sole 

 jurisdiction over immense tracts which are the sources of our 

 streams and rivers; with the splendid system of irrigation now 

 Inaugurated the forests, which are the mothers of the fountains 

 and streams, must be preserved. Many states are now replant- 



