I guess I know how much
I'd like to have you."
"All right," replied Hal, resignedly. "I'll have to hold in, I suppose. But
I'm crazy to go. And, Ken, the cowboys and lions are not all that interest
me. I like what you tell me about forestry. But who ever heard of forestry
as a profession?"
"It's just this way, Hal. The natural resources have got to be conserved,
and the Government is trying to enlist intelligent young men in the work--
particularly in the department of forestry. I'm not exaggerating when I say
the prosperity of this country depends upon forestry."
I have to admit that I was repeating what I had read.
"Why does it? Tell me how," demanded Hal.
"Because the lumbermen are wiping out all the timber and never thinking of
the future. They are in such a hurry to get rich that they'll leave their
grandchildren only a desert. They cut and slash in every direction, and
then fires come and the country is ruined. Our rivers depend upon the
forests for water. The trees draw the rain; the leaves break it up and let
it fall in mists and drippings; it seeps into the ground, and is held by
the roots. If the trees are destroyed the rain rushes off on the surface
and floods the rivers. The forests store up water, and they do good in
other ways."
"We've got to have wood and lumber," said Hal.
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