Daily Davenport Democrat. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1864-1874, 1869-02-22

In the last oft from the United States
Department Of Agriculture there 10 pre-
scented vas. amount Of information and
statistics Of the consumption Of wood 10
cur country, and the fac. OF the wholesale
destruction Of our forests. From facts and
figures Of too accurate character to be dis
puted, the conclusion is reached that, unless
measures are taken Immediately to replace
BY new plantations, the supplies Withdrawn
BY the destruction Of our old forests, there
will be an actual famine for wood in this
country within the next thirty years.
Few are aware Of the reckless waste Of
timber going on; and yet they ought to
know, for the change ofclimate and the ex-
trcmes of temperature which We now en-.
dure were not formerly known. and are Q
convincing evidence Of this fact. II 10 true
that coal Or peat may b substituted for
purposes Of fnel but 10 the mechanical
arts, 10 bstl4lax houses Of ships, or innu-
msrable otAoe puspoees, We must have
wood. good. sosed, cad strsng.
The black walsub - rarely found now 10
the eastern and middle states, where once
Il Vas plenty. Oar pine comes from Mich.
igsn, Wiscsnsin aad Aisaesota and hey ond,
TO The valss u tees Of millions of dollars, to
supply esr demands.
In the single state Of New York, from
1850 to 1850, there we're reclaimed from
the forrest and brought into cultivation no
less than 1867 ass acres Of land. All
these acres will never again be devoted to
timber growing and still the destruction
goes on.
II the present demand for lumber con-
tinues in proportion to the Increase Of pop
ulation. in twenty years from now we shall
need 5000. coo, 900 worth Of sawed lumber
| annually! And where are We to obtain
itp
1t is estimated that from 1850 to 1860 no
less than 10000, 900 acres Of new land in
the United. States were brought under cul.
tivat,od, Of which . 5ths were timber land
And in the decade ending 1873 there will
no less than 400, O0o. 900 acres so reclaimed.
We do not see here the wild cherry or
cucumber tree. The hard maple and hick-
DRY are almost entirely gone; while entire
sections have been dsnuded Of hsmlock aud
| Pine.
The slsspers used on the railroads Of our
country from 1860 to 1870 cost 23.053.-
957, aud their number WAS 81, 697. O20; and
when it Is remembered that these are al
most entirely hard wood, and last but from
two to Eve years, il will be seen that the
annual supply for this purpose 10 snoruous
and increasing - fast ~ new railroads are
built.
1t lisa noteworthy fact that wood in 81
its branches OF manufacture and use pays
more than one half Of the internal revenue
Of the United States, and no less than sixty
six trades depend upon wood ~ bare ma
tcrial for their labor.
Again there are needed upon every farm,
improvements in the shape Of buildings
fences and implements, which in their frat
cost form very large comparison with the
actual cost Of tho fsrms; these are decay,
ing every year. and must be renewed.
The value of the farms Of the United
States in 1860 was 1654 ,0A5, 700, while the
value Of ths2 luuber improvements Va.
93,322, o22, 900. All this has been Gu,
from the soil, and NEST Of it within thirty
years. Net single thisg has been done to
replace IL.
Again in The year. there was used fol
the repairs of railroads. and railroad build.
logs and cars, IN the United States, 70 lefa
than t3s ,00O,O 900 wsrth Of wood while
the wood fuel used for the locomotives OF
/ 'H0 Outteu oSoteO SVoSucu tuo
figure Of $1,000, 900. There are no less
than 476,6t3 artisans IL wood in this coun,
try. II we estimate the value Of their pro
duction at the low price Of 81 900 each per
anrum. We have the still greater aggregate
Of an industry Of $500, 900 900 per annum
dependent soley on wood
We may we'll say, "what are We coming
tot" with the thousands Of acres Of tim
Der annually destroyed. and not . single
effort made to replace them. Can any ef.
fort Of human Imagination tell US that We
are progressing in civilisation, when ~ are
deliberately committing suicide Of al our
best natural resourcssi
Verify. there i. something in our future
that 10 assuming an alarming aspect. And
if the farmers, tho citizens. the statesmen
the legislators. the press Of the entire coun-
Try. do not now bestir themselves to repair
damages and correct their self-inficted
abuses, We shall see thirty years hence such
. state of affairs in our natural history
which might look like = terrible visitation
Of Providence.