Smyrna times., 1856-05-07
How the Destruction of Trees affect:
a. .5oL ..La. the Rain.


Savannah Republican, an interesting article
upon the subject, a synopsis of which will be
found both entertaining and instructive to far
mers and landed proprietors. By cutting down
the trees upon mountain sides and ravlnes, we
are inevitably entailing two great evils upon
posterity-a scarcity of fuel and scarcity of
water. The former evil is the more obvious,
but the latter is equally certain and far more
formidable. The lack of wood for fuel may be
supplied from our abundant accumulation of
coal but no art or labor can supply substitute
for water. #ar.. ~. -.u
The hidden fountains of all our springs and
rivers are in the atmosphere. Every drop of
fresh water is drawn, in the form of dew or
ram, from these inexhaustlble, ever-renewcd
reservoirs. Trees act in many ways in regula-
ting and distributing the supply of MOISTURE
In certain localities they even produce a sensi-
BILE effect upon the amount of moisture deposited
from the atmosphere. Thus in the Island of
Saint Helena, great attention has been paid
within the last quarter of century to the plant
ing of trees upon the steep bare hillsides and
1t has been found that the fall of water has al
most doubled since the time when Napoleon
was prisoner there. The reason is obvious
The temperature of trees, in hot climates, is al
ways lower than that of surrounding atmos-
phere. The winds, loaded with moisture ex-
hailed from the ocean over which they have past,
sweep over the island. The trees condense
this, and it is deposited in dew or rain. Still
more remarkably is this shown by ieftmous foun-
tain trees on Ferro, one Of the mary Islands
80 gfeat Is their cUndensIng power that they
seem to be always wrapped in vapory cloud,
and the mo slure collects in drops upon the
leaves, trio iles down the branches and stems,
and collec ing into reservoir at their feet,
4 L..
on larger scale of the phenomenon which &C.
ours when jug Of iced water is brought into a
heated roo n.
We have of late years heard mrch ofdrought
and consequent famine in the Cape de Verd
} Islands. Phe soil is OF a ecularly porous ma
ture, and therefore requires constant supply
OF molstu C as an Indispensable condition of fer
tlllty. FIR long time the climate has been
; constantly growing less and le humid. The
J Soccorrolos the largest river in NJ ldeira form.
erly had sufficient depth of wa ter to float tim
Der down 10 the sea. IL 10 now a mere rivulet,
whose ters, except in flood time, are scarcely
discover BILE as they trIckle along its pebbly
bed. T.llS dinImutIOn OF moisture can be traced
5 directly to the destruction of the forests that
= formerly coveIed the noun ain sides. The Portu-
guese were cally aware OF this, and laws were
framed prohibiting the cutting down of trees
But timer was valuable, aud the land was
wanted Tor vineyards. PorLu. uese laws were
pow erie IS agalns the demands of immediate
f interest So the trees were cut down, the
a springs failed, and fountains dried up. Hence
came drought, famine and desttuton. Present
gain must sometimes be purchased by future
! loss.
f Trees regulate the supply of moisture in
E many ways, even where we cInlOt suppose
that tn y atteCt Its absolute amount. The evapo
ration from their leaves is considerable, anC
this, dllfuSed through the atmosphere, Is waited
: over VIDE tracts of country. They shelter thC
= grounl beneath them, and thus prevent th,
A water that falls from beng Carried off by evap
OratiOl, allowing it to penetrate the earth
: keepI g the sprIngs.and fountains in perpetua
e Aow in the drest seasons. Their roots and in
l. terlacng f5res penetrate the soil, preventing
| it fro being washed away by sudden showers
aud forming sort of sp, nge that absorbs tn,
;. water, aud gives II out Lowry and uniformly
II thus equal,zing its low, preventing eithe
q drou ,hts or floods When the forests on hill
sides and ravin2 slopes are cut down, the raj
slides off from them as from oof. A sudde
Id shower swells every rIvulet i. to torrent
le Every tiny brook pours its accun ulationat ono
"a, in tine rivers, whose channels are inadeuuat
TO carry off the sudden access on, hence disas
trous inundatlOns, follow ed at short intervals b
y low water. The supply of water that shout
ID, have been distributed over weeks is exhauste
he in hours That which .shI uld have dubbed u
90 10 springs aud flowed through rivulets, ma kin
the meadows green, is carried at once ahroue
ae the great rivers to theocean, to be again taxi
Ill up by evaporation only to go again through Il
I'd, same round. The volume of the great river
he the Ddnubes, the Miss sslppis, the Niles, Il
i, Rhines, aud the Euf hrates, may undergo
- change from age to age; for they derive tn,
Oo' waters from wide extent ot country, a
'od thoughts in one section are balanced by sho
,ry ers in another. But the smaller rivers DIM
qa ish, rivulets dry up, and the springs fall
e cept immediately after rains, when they
q greatly swollen. Thus by the operation of Q
law, the destruction of forests causes the I
opposite evils of floods aud droughts
: Humboldt called public attention to the p
- bable consequences of the destruction of fore
as early as the year 1900. Ii is a well kno
fact that the lakes In the valley OF Mexico hi
o"' greatly contracted since the old Aztec times
The city of Mexico occupies its ancient 81
but it is now some distance inshore instead
+ on anisland, as formerly. This is to be ascri
y to the telling of the forests that clothed the
~ cent hills. The British Association has I
- lected from India vast amount of informal
20, bearing upon the same point. Among the !
'Os OF OeylOD, Wuere tue Forests nave Deen
Id" down, in order to form coffee plantations,
- loss of the springs and fountains has alre
go become an evil of great magnitude. hi'
i Our own country is yet too new, and our
ests are yet, in spite OF woodmen and axes,
- numerous for the scarcity OF water to have
come serious evil. But like causes prod
me. like effects and unless we change our pr
!. dure, our children will suffer from our wal
' carelessness. We have no right for olIr I,
- temporary advantage to desoate the com
NJ No generation has more than life-interes
D. the earth, of which il is but the trustee of
terity. Every man who has revisited his Q
ever home iH the older States, after an absence
wsto few years, cannot have failed TO notice
slou. illumination of the streams aud springs. II
Ike a ID probably no water IN the brook taat tn
now his water-wbee. The springs in the Eas
YOU which lie remembers as eyer-howing, are
- aud if . season Of unusual drought hiPl