One of the greatest problems for those settlers in Nebraska in the last quarter of the previous century was fuel. Little of the state was forested when the first settlers arrived and it is probably that by 1880, only about one-third of the originally forested area remained, down to a mere 1 percent of the state's 77 000 square miles. With wood and coal out of the question, and with fuel needed year- round for cooking, and during the harsh winter months for heating, some solution had to be found. Somewhat improbably, the buffalo provided the answer. Buffalo chips were found to burn evenly, hotly and cleanly, with little smoke and interestingly, no odor or unpleasant smell. Soon collecting them became a way of life for the settlers* children who would pick them up on their way to and from school , or take part in competitions designed to counteract their normal natural reluctance. Even a young man, seeking to impress the girl he wanted to marry, would arrive with a large bag of chips rather than with a box of candy or a bunch of flowers. 1. The main idea o£ the passage is . A. the solution to the Nebraskan settlers’ fuel problem B. life in Nebraska in the late nineteenth century C. the importance of American buffalo D. deforestation in Nebraska in the late nineteenth century