South-eastern Independent. (McConnelsville, Ohio) 1871-1871, 1871-11-03
The Remote Cause of the Western Fires.

The Remote Cause Of the Western Fires.
Chicago has burned down, and whole
square miles of western land are burnt
up. That misguided COW and unhappy
lamp have been berated enough. e the
barn had been damp with recent rains
perhaps the fire had gone no farther.
Certain is it that if the rooftops had not
been baked dry by a summers drought
Chicago would not have mourned her
lost children and ruined homes.
Had not those Wisconsin fields been
as ashes in the dry wind, had plentiful
rains drenched the Michigan woods, the
country would have been happier to-
day. Everything there was as dry as
finder say all the papers.
Now whose fault was it ? People with
more piety than wisdom may say in a
Mortified way What q question ! Do
you arraign acts of Providence p No.
There has been blame somewhere. We
are not inclined to shift it upon Heaven.
Men, not Providence, brought this cal
amity upon us. 1t is we who have crea
ted these dry summers. Had there been
no drought there had been no such wide
ruin.
The time was when such ~long-contin-
ued dry seasons were no. known. Men
a and do change the character of eli
mates. We al cause the rain to fall OF
drive away the clouds. Men have alter
ed the temperature and moved the dew
point. The farmers of the northern
states are III a measure responsible for
the series of dry summers shat have pre-
vailed for the last ten years.
M~eteorology is beginning to take q
high position. We have ma oped the
winds and can signal the coming storm
to the sailor and farmer. The laws OF
the weather are 10 longer a matter of
guess-work. Cause and effect are as sure
in the clouds as on the ground. Oh.
serving the effect we can trace the cause.
Given this series by dry summers, science
points to the cause-our denuded forests.
In our foolish American haste we have
wastefully cut down the trees, dried up
the springs, raised the temperature, SO
that precipitation of moisture is reduced,
and have driven the rain away in useless
clouds or invisible vapor over the At
lantic. Chicago is burned down and we
are solemnly saying, How heavy is the
hand OF Heaven upon u.s." We have
prayed for rain one day of the week, and
driven 1t away with an axe on six.
The mischief is done, and the best
thing we can now do is to examine the
matter with a view to future prevention.
How shall we bring back the rain 2 How
restore our forestsP Simply by planting
our woods anew.
This is not a new or untried idea.
Artificial woods are no longer a novelty
in Europe. There this whole matter is
well understood. In parts of the Con-
tinent foresters are appointed by gov
eminent. 1t is their duty to inspect all
standing forests. Schools of arbori-
culture are established. The habits of
the trees are considered, the soil exam
lned, and tree-planting carried ON over
hundreds OF square miles. For every
tree cut down one or more new ones
must be set. Nurseries, producing mil
lions of young trees, do a thriving bust
ness IN supplying this material. Under
the advice Of the foresters the new forests
extend year by year. On the rocky hills
o Scotland the oak, maple and chestnut
are planted /; the willow is set out by the
million on the marsh-like "polders' of
Holland about Utrecht, and on the
sandy plains of Zelderland, near Arm
helm, the traveller passes artificial pine
forests by the hour.
In view OF these western fires il is
high time we prepared to initiate our
transatlantic friends. At once the great
cost of such an undertaking comes up.
Now w think it can he shown that the
thing Will pay to do it. If there is
money in it it will get itself done fast
enough.
The land used for such forests is gen.
orally fit for nothing else. We have
millions of acres that are barren wastes
an eyesore and tax on the owners. By
examining the most hourishing trees
growing in similar soil in the neighbor-
hood we can decide what to plant. By
sowing the seed or buying young trees
a year old We can soon start a forest that
in twenty years will bring a cash return
that will cover the cost of plating, in
terest and taxes, and leave a margin of
profit besides.
To come down to details. let lie pres
ent an estimate prepared for a gentle
man who had a hundred acres of nearly
valueless land in eastern Massachusetts.
1t was a continual tax-bill and brought
no return whatever. The land was
valued at fifty dollars an acre. The in
teres5 for twenty years would be Sc, GOO
the taxes, $4,000. If he had nothing no
the land he would be 5000 ont of
pocket at the end of that time. There
was a fence round the whole lot that it
was estimated it would cost twenty dol
lars a year to maintain. Each acre
would hold 500 trees or $4,000 in all.
The trees could be bought Tor 81, 500
The planting would cost about $3.50.
The trees at the present price of posts