, 1866-05-28

HEo have not seen aud acted upon the lesson |
suggested by these facts.
or course, when VIC appeal to Western men
as mass, in this Fpeculating and Waterfalls
tie age, tho gains to be gathered Ia following
this course or that must be put In the pront-
ncnt place. The profits Of treo culture may
be demonstrated to be greater than those of
any other agricultural investment. We do !
not mean that any ono may SOW locust seeds |
this year, reap crop Of whip stocks or
trout ting-rodslfn the fall, and realize more !
thereby than from crop of corn or wheat
but that eighty acres Of prairie land planted
with tocusts, Ssh, black walnut, or white ma
pie, will be Of more value, twenty years from
now, than that number Of acres of the same
land and the net vnluc of twenty av-
crngc crops that may be raised
thereon. This Is broad statement, but II is
verified by careful estimates. So firmly does
alope-hcadcd friend Of ours believe It. that,
though comparatively Young man, he is al
scady providing for his children, by planting
or each quarter section In trees that arc in
aigenous 10 the soil; and he holds no doubt
truly, that what costs him little now, Will be
competence TO them when they reach their
majority-that in no other way eau he invest
money and expect SO large return.
Dnt setting aside all considerations OF d.
rect pecuniary profit, II Is o. importance that
trees should generally bc planted In the West
to save tho country from becoming desert
| waste
The change in the surface Of the soil Of
this prairie land, from vet to dry In the
climate, from one Of great evenness to one Of
rapidly alternating extremes :; In the streams
from living fountains all the year, to sinking
pools in tho summer and raging torrents in
the spring and tall, has been too rapid to I've
| misunderstood. The few forests that fringcd
| the watcr-courscs have been thlnncd out or
me1cllcssly hacked down, the grass that for
| meslv covered the prairie, and served Us n pro-
! lection to the ground, has been eaten off or
/, tra1nplcd out the hot rays Of the sun scorch
out and penetrate every foot OF the surface;
evaporation, that in old times was gradual
but constant, now goes On rapidly. and, as q
consequence, whole districts where water was
formerly abundant, VIC now find it to be the
! chief want Streams, formerly valuable for tic
watcr'power they afforded, have become al
| most dry, except in seasons OF flood !; and even
the 1liluois-as large river rs It isis al
! most useless for purposes Of navigation, now
I that the sources from which It was fed have
been cut of. These are facts of laily comment,
aud though now serious, they point uncrring-
ly to final condition Of things more serious
still The remedy is in planting forests, that
the original condition OF part OF the surface
may be- restored. Without them, in the lapse
! Of time, Illinois would becomc.toc arid Tor hu.
man habitation. The era in which this may
occur. Trrhaps, seems to be too far OF to be
considered now ; but If the experience OF the
last twenty years is Of value In judgin. of
what the future may bring forth, q fey cen.
turfcs will suffice. 1nlthe meantime let III
plant trees, MT in fear Of any possible Sahara,
but tor the shade they afford to mau and
beast, for their wonderful beauty in laai-
seape, for their ;esthc,ic associations, and for
the profits they yield.
Tie reference Of Mr.. Donurlty's bill 10 the
Committee OIL Public Lands wuu1d imply that
| 1t conicmplatcs the direct action OF the gov
crnmcnt in some effort to rcclaln, the millions
| Of acres OF the National domain between tbs
Missouri River and the Rocky Mountains,
from the arid barrcnness aud worthlcssncss Of
| their present condition. We arc couildcat
that no appropriation Of public money will
yield i larger return than one which shall be
directed, in the first instance, 10 u
| thorough scientific Investigation
us to the kind of trees best adapted to the
Western plains, the mode Of planting aud
caring for them, and the localities where they
will propagate themselves most rapidly and
secondly, to practical experiment on suf-
acieutiy large scale to teach future Con-
gresscs how to proceed. Results may be OBJ
talned which nrc altogether beyond present
conccption-no less than the rendering of a
territory larger than The whole Of France
habitabIc for man.