The Project Gutenberg EBook of Checking the Waste, by Mary Huston Gregory

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Title: Checking the Waste
A Study in Conservation

Author: Mary Huston Gregory

Release Date: February 24, 2007 [EBook #20653]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

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CHECKING THE WASTE

A STUDY IN CONSERVATION

_By_

MARY HUSTON GREGORY

* * *

_What you would weave into the life of the nation,
put into the public schools._

--EMPEROR WILLIAM I.

* * *

INDIANAPOLIS
THE BOBBS-MERRILL COMPANY
PUBLISHERS
COPYRIGHT 1911
PRESS OF
BRAUNWORTH & CO.
BOOKBINDERS AND PRINTERS
BROOKLYN, N. Y.

* * *

CONTENTS

CHAPTER PAGE

I WHAT IS CONSERVATION? 1

II SOIL 10

III FORESTS 42

IV WATER 86

V COAL 124

VI OTHER FUELS 144

VII IRON 164

VIII OTHER MINERALS 181

IX ANIMAL FOODS 198

X INSECTS 217

XI BIRDS 236

XII HEALTH 265

XIII BEAUTY 302

XIV IN CONCLUSION 312

PREFACE

Much has been said and written on the subject of conservation and many
excellent ideas have been advanced, but as yet too little has been
accomplished in the way of practical results. Probably this is due
largely to the fact that most people think of conservation as a problem
for the federal and state governments, mine owners, great lumber
companies, owners of vast tracts of land, and large corporations; and
have not realized how much the responsibility for the care of our
natural resources and the penalty for their waste rest with the whole
people, that every one has a part in this work which has been called
"the greatest question before the American people."

One cause of the failure to realize this personal responsibility is that
while there have b