The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1868-10-17
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Tssc Late EresE.et in Maryland
THE AGRICULTURAL VALUE OF FORE ETs.


THE AGRICULTURAL VALUE OF FORESTS.
The terrible loss Of property, and in some
instances of life also, which was occasioned
by the freshet on all that region of country
lying between the Northern Central and the
naturally tc an Investigation of the causes
which have tended very materially to in
crease in each succeeding visitation the ex
tent of the disaster There have been with
in the memory of the older inhabitants Of
this State three calamtous freshets, ranging
over the same area, and each increasing in
intensity in succession. The first was in the
early part of the present century; the see
ond in 1897 the third was that which took
place a few weeks ago. The ravages com
mitted by the first were by no means equal
to those which were suffered by the second,
whilst the third was by far the most severe
of any Now there must be reason for
this natural progression, and it is not far to
seek. Within the area where the severesi
effects of these frcshets have been expert,
enccd the accumulation Of an immense vol
umc Of water into q few main channclsis caus
ed by the fact that water shed whilst it is of
considerable length is also remarkably alb
rupt in its descent from The hills. The land
lying between the two railroads we have men
toned, is a rolling plateau with PERCEPTIONS
sides, on the eastern slope of the plateau all
the minor rivulets and water courses empty
either into Gwynn's Falls or Jones Falls,
whilst on the western slope they discharge
their gathering waters into the Patapsco
River. The reason why the freshet was less
destructive on the eastern slope, if we throw
the losses in the city out of consideration,
arose from the fact that the body of water on
the latter slope had two main channels of
discharge, viz, Gwynns Falls and Jones
Falls, whilst on the western slope the Pataps,
CO River was the only outlet by which all the
waters on that side OF the plateau could find
an outlet to the Chesapeake Bay. 1t may
be added also that at all times a larger vol
ume of water seeks the Patapsco as an out,
lei than is to be found in Gwynns Falls and
Jones Falls combined. Now when we take
into consideration the circumstance that at
each recurring freshct, of any magnitude,
which has taken place after an interval of
number of years the destructiyeness of the
freshet has been intensified the knowledge
of that fact goes very far towards proving
that there must be something in the changed
condition of that portion of our State so ter
ribly scourged which has aided in producing
this result. Such upon reflection will be
the case. So long as the plateau in qaes
ton with its rolling lands and short abrupt
declivties was principally covered with for
sttrees, the water even in the heaviest
freshets was partially absorbed By the soft
soil and decaying leaves of the woodlands,
ard was otherwise so much DISTRACTED and
retained in its progress to the water courses
that the surplusage which ultimately found
its way to the main channels reached them
much more slowly and in smaller volume
By this natural retarda,ion of a body of wat
err, which in its collective capacity sad ex-
perience has SHOWN to possess such an over
whelming force the damage done on such
occasions was comparatively nconsdera
BILE.
In our last freshet the accumulated waters
swellcd in the course OF an hour to the dim
ensions of flood, which oversprcad. wher-
ever it was possible, the banks of the main
channels to the depth of many feet. and
swept every thing before it which INSTRUCTED
its progress. The subsistence of the food
was also as rapid as its rise. In other times,
before the forests were cut down, the main
channels would have received these waters
so gradually that the entire volume would
have been distributed through several days,
and thus opportunity would have been given
for their discharge, and as the rise would
have been slow, so also would have been the
subsistence.
In truth, the Patapsco and the other
streams we have mentioned were much bold
er streams half a century ago than they are
now-the supply being steadier, more GER
tain and more continuous at all seasons OF
the year. With the disappearance of our
forests evaporation iii the summer season
has gone on more rapidly, many springs
have been dried up, and thus the annual
volume OF water seeking the Bay has been
lessening from year to year. The forests,
whilst they existed, acting as reservoirs Of
moisture, and whilst they kept the springs
flush and the rivers full, exerted no small
influence on the climate. Our tropical
summers and artic winters are largely due
to the disappearance of our forest, for whilst
they checked the severity of the biting win
ter winds, they also modified and softened
their temperature. So also in summer the
opposite result ensued; the GOODNESS of the
forest qualified the heat of the glades o,
open country, and in malarious districts q
belt of forest to windward was the best pos.
sibc protection against bilious diseases, and
especially against ague and fever, which
those who lived in those districts could de,
sire. These facts lead US TO hope that here
after our forests will be spared as much as
possible now that the necessity for using
them as fuel for populous cities no longer
exists. In light soils, topreserve the forests
in the ncighborhood, is to secure the soils IL
large measure against drought-whilst II
those districts where woodland is scarce the
tendency to acidity and to consequent ex
hauslion of the soil is very great.
Marylanl Farmer.