The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1871-02-09
Destruction by storms.

many portions Of che West on the
18th, 14th and 18th of January, 1871,
will probably bs long remembered
by the destruction that it carried
with it to fruit ornamental and other
trees. s,'a ta s'
4 Ono Of the lessons that our fearful
storms should teach as 10 the need
of protection. Trees and shrubs
might have borne tho weight Of even
20 great masses Of ics without ssrions
injury If they could only have been
held still, but for thcm to hold still
IN Dur windy prairie country
is like dipping . man in 40 ice-bound
stream, and then bidding him not
TO shiver. II is true that no artificial
protection that We can give our or
chards and homestcads will shelter
them from the effects Of such . storm
as this, but We may do much BY the
judicious planting Of timber boits aud
groves, to ward of tho injury ocoa-
stoned thereby. IL is true that we
do not have such storms Of sleet as
this one Just passed, more than two
or three times in . generation, but it
behoovss the reasoning farmer TO re-
Aect how he may obvlats their DESC
lation as much a. possible.
II is The general impression among
farmers thst the prairie country Is
not adapted TO fruit growing. and yst
ID has been amply demonstrated, that
with the protection of timber belts
the apple especially Aourishss admi-
rsbly, and with the general adoption
Of . system Of timber planting there
10 no doubt but that many Of the more
tender fruits might BE- cultivated suc-
cessfuliy. ESD f a,'}
The cvil 10 net one that hiss always
existed, but it 10 one that has grown
up with the country, and with tho
continued destruction Of the prairie
grasses which tended to keep the
ground 1niformly moist, and there
fore in measure tended to supply
the want Of forests. giving OF to the
atmosphere, grsdually, that which It
contained, equalizing the rainfall,
and preventing the recurrence ofthe
terrible storms of wind, rain and
drought with which We are now 90
often visited. 9.a t ss,'
II il said that the track Of civili-
sation leaves desolation behind, and
five may take the present appear
ancc Of those ancient countries in
which civilized man he's long ceased
to exist, it is true. Our Agricultur-
al, but moreparticnlarly onr Horti-
cultural societies, are constantly ad-
vising the planting Of timber as
protection against not only the de-
struction occasioned BY the rccur-
renee Of these storms, but even IS .
means of mitigating their fury, and
preventing their recurrence, meas
urably at least. Individuals have
made the experiment and have sue
oeeded beyond their expectations, be-
cause they did not expect to accom-
plish much, except BY cooperation.
We do not hesitate to assert that
il each farm in Illinois, Iowa and
Kansas, were properly sheltered by
timber belts and groves, that the
climate would be modified to such .
degree that not only fruit could be as
suOcessfulIy raised in these States %
anywhere else on earth, - far re-
moved from the ocean, and in the
same latitude. Not only this, but
the certainty and increase in other
crops would moro than pay the
whole expense for planting and caro-
in . single generation and the
value OF the timber would besides
double, If not treble the value Of tho
farms. II 10 one OF the most serious
problems that the farmers OF the
West have to solve, and must sooner