The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1854-05-24
Uso and Supply of Fuel in the U. 8

for coming wants and exigeucics, botl
for ourselves and offspring, is highly
commendablc and prniscworthy On
the other hand, undue anxiety-carking
cares-a ccascless and slavish effort to
hoard up riches and amass wealth, and
the cultivation of a miserly spirit, arc
ccnsurable in tho highest degree. a
prudent man forsceth the evil. and hidetk
himself" This was regarded as good
practical philosophy four tn ousand years
ago. How great pity that IFS teachings
arc so little regarded by men in these lat.
ter times. when improvement is the boast
Of the age
Who that has any knowledge Of tho
vast amount of wood consumed annually
in our country for warming and culinary
purposes,-by forges, factorics, steam.
boats and railways, must entertain
fears for themselves and posterity. We
have not the statistics at hand, to show
the yearly consumption throughout our
country. but from some local statistics,
we may dcduce general facts. The Rut-
land and Burlington Railroad, l22 miles
in length consumes annually 10000 cords,
The Whitehall and Troy Road, somo SO
miles in length, consumes 9,U0C cords
Schenectady and Utica, 75 miles in
length, 5000 cords Tho roads, from
that point to Buffalo consume over 40
600 cords. The roads from Albany to
Boston, 202 miles in length, consume
over $4,000 cords. The steamers on
Lake Champlain consume upwards of
100 cords daily, through the business
season. The furnaces and forages on its
shore, eight in number, consume annual
ly 10000 cords. The Salt Works at
Syracuse, n. Y, when all the fires are in
operation, consume 1000 cords every
day, or in other words, the wood from %
acres of well timborcd land
From the above data, we find that one
mile of Railroad requires at least l60
cords of wood to supply it yearly con-
sequcntly the $4,000 miles of road in
our country, would consume annually
2,060,000 When the 10000 miles Of
road, now either under contract or con-
temptation, added to that already in oper.
alton, 5,2S0,000 cords of wood will be re-
quired annually to feed the engines with
fuel
Allow 40 cords to be an avarage yield
of wood to the acre, then every mile of
road requires annually acres of wood
to supply it. The $1,000 miles of road
will consume the wood every year from
1000 acres When the $4,000 miles
are in operation, the wood from 1872 900
acrcs-a territory of over 200 square
miles in extent-will only supply these
roads twelve months. In addition to
this vast amount is to be added what is
consumed by the 24,000,000 of inhabi-
tants in the country. Allowing tho mum.
Der of families to be 5 100000 and each
to consume only ten cords each, then So,
100000 cords is required annually for
their comfort and use. In other words,
the produce of 100000 acres-an ex.
tent of territory equal to LIE square
miles.
Thirty sht townships, six miles
square Of heavy timbered land, is requir.
ed for the inhabitants and their Railroads
annually, to say nothing of factories,
forges, steamers, SC, which must swell
the amout to upwards of 10000 square
miles Of territory 1t is true our coal
field are unabounded, yet the want of fro.
wood is already felt in some districts,
which, like the prairies of the west, arc
naturally destitute of timber,or in which
locomotives and steamers are consuming
the article faster than it can be repro.
iuccd in the ordinary course of nature.
Many localities which I could name, es-
pecially near the sea.coast. have been
shorn of timber. Much in.
is now felt in consequence,
and the evil is progressive, threatening
the comfort and interests of farmers
and all classes engaged in in
iustrial pursuits and considerable.
not merely poetical, but economical and
would in moro instances than
one call out to him, Woodman, spare
that tree !"
In all new countries, terrible mauia
seems to actuate the pioneer to exter-
inmate every bush and tree, and measure
lis enterprise and success by the number
Of acres of wood he can convert into
ishes,or leave in a girdled and dying cou.
condition. Now we enter our solemn
protest against ruthless Vandal warfare.
In all now countries shade trees should
90 left along the roadside, and 2roups IN
very pasture, and a grove around e.ery
louse. Were this the case how beauti.
ul would be the aspect to the traveller,
o say nothing ofthc comfort they would
tfOrd. In olden towns trees should DO
ransplanted and cultivated. not only for
he comfort and beauty, but as matter
4 practical economy. Trees should be
egarded as companions, and entitled to
protection. They should be looked to
. as physicians-as breathers Of oxygen.
S consumers of nitrogen, as friendly to
ui existence, and auxiliary to happiness
nd length oflife,
In France and many other EutoboAr
ountries, the beach Is cultivated as wc
ultivate the apple tree, snd the road
ldes are lined with the poplar, tho tops
4 which are ever and amor cut of for
Or fuel, and left to grow again. The
each grows rapidly, So docs the elm. Iu
he neighborhood of the write! are two
Inns, one of which is seven feet in cir.
amfcrence, which sixty years since was
sed as bush, on which to spread
lothing on "washing day. BY a lady
ow residing under its branches the
ther is full ten feet in circumference 'at
he butt, aud was used as a ehaud spikcp
u certain occasion, and left sticking in
be ground 1t took roots aud flourish.
d. and for many years has been an OBJ,