Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1871-11-01
The Destruction of Forests.

While the fist news OF the nOrth-w stern
Tres in Wisconsin, VI nnes1ta ami VI chi
gan suggests the Necessity of speedy re-
lef to the homeless citizens, in grel er
leei of succor than tens Of thousands n
jnlcago. it also sukg gests f'reb ID - of
>erlou, climatic change. Tnes changes
lre inevitable it. WITHOUT rep'anfing. forest
,tter forest Is swept away by the hlo vs of
ne wood mans axe aud ny the wholesale
destruction wrought by 6'e
Any o3e passing the 4 ps into \ Drthern
| Italy an proceedugas As far south ~ n pies,
! ,r travelling from old CASTLE down 10 q Il
,nd Mliag4, or V sitting ; ely ar Greece,
rnd Sull further 10 the east. P4eStlne aud
ne + Iphrates valley, cannot sluf MS eyes
the causes when hava hrOu mt a ,nut
ne decline Of empires. Fore np5t among
ne causes has been the deliberate les
ructiOn Of forests. Ii the south Of France
ne disastrous consrq leu ses beca nc 30 evI-
lent that the late imperial gov srn neut
-u0mlttei the question to the n l=t search
NJ inquiry. AMI the U1ln-mluz opinion
sven by scientific observers was that the
.llmate of a country is SUBJECTED to
er,ou~ change the moment the IN luntaius
.sts. Suffering from prolonged drou ghts
lnd destructive inuniatjonS. a country de-
Drlved Of its woodlands fin Is ITS agricul-
ural interests in constant dlnger. and
inks at last TO a precdr'ous state Of de-
peniency on the graIn-prOducton Of other
countries.
There Is now but one opinion on the
,ubiect of the downfall of the nations of
ne Euphrates valley. The prolnn yed
lroughts enfeeb!ed the physical, AMI there
ore the moral. nature of the inh4b tants.
When the r lmans lande in Spain the
country was inhabited By forty millions
lt comp 4rat'veIy prosperous p-ope. the
l1erIans The country was then we'll
gno led, but during the Roman AMI sub
quentiy dur ~ the Gothic AMI Arab
occupation, the destruction of forests Was
ontnued in the most merciIess m amer,
nd not tree has been replante1 to this
lay. From forty millions. the population
Turing nineteen hundred years dEindled
0 niue millions at the com nencem4nt of
ne present century! la CASTLE, especially
n the plains. the traveller may not see
rec during whole days journey. Hail
storms. drOughts lasting. without a drop
It rain. from April till o ;tober, or sullen
,nd destructive inuniauons are the con-
rqueuce. The same thing Is observable
IA every land OF Southern Europe where
ne conditions are similar.
We are prosperous nation now. The
ntire failure of any crop throu ghout the
ind IS unknown among Us. yet cannot
'e denied that scorching and prolonged
irnughts especially outside the Gulf-stream
'auenceS, are yearly more frequent. These
rorih-western fires are an illustration of
ne fact, having hal their or,g,n In tbs
-ause. The sensitive nature Of our lea ling
,tapl., cotton. should not he 70 gotten A
Uug season of dry weather after the pant
Il foot from the ground will do it m lch
larm. but a continuation of rain and of
occasional inuudatons may easily re luce
crop from five millions nf bales 70 three
millions. The longer we proceed ndis-
;rrmlnatey to destroy forests, without re-
JlantIng a single tree, the more ctpr,ciOus
ne climat evil become from NJ l'ne to the
Il 0 Grande. Ga our Pacific coast. this
year. the drought has been such that more
nan quarter of the wheat crop is lost.
Taxing example. in their distress. from
tle r mans and the NJ lors of Spain. the
armer, of that State propose to Obtain
irrigation by aqueduots through the wheat
regIons. The destruction of forests in
California and Oregon has been on a
gigantic scale during these twenty years,
md the consequences begin to be felt
,lready.
Is 1t not time that subject Of such
paramount Importance shou he discussed
n Congress and in the legislative bolies
Of every State? Is 1t not time that some
stringent laws should be enacted to com
pei the individuals and companies that are
destroying our majestic American forests
10 replnt the waste p aces with trr,s
wherever agriculture does not claim the
and Legislative measures should be
aiken, too, with the cooperation of the
Canadian authorities, as the people of
he Dominion are forest-destroyiug ike
ourselves.
To clean pencil drawing, and to preserve