Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1872-08-09
he soil was gradually prepared for the re-

the soil was gradually prepared for the re-
=ception of vegetable germs. Vegetable
organisms crept in from the borders i, of
the waste. Slowly, but surely they drew
their lines Of decentralization and secured
their conquests. At length the desert
arena smiled with the flowers of spring
and decorated itself in the gorgeous yes-
ture of autumn. The herb outstripped
the treein~the race fes-the possession of
the soil. The bulky acorn, walnut, hick-
iory NUT etc. travelled with less facility
than the more, fragile seeds Of the herba-
ceousy kingdom. Indeed, every one must
have noticed how the-seeds of many
plants, as the 5dandelion and thistle, are
provided with. a species, of light down
which facilitates their transmission from
place to place by tie wind. and almost en-
dows them with the powers of locomo-
uonn. sTTEM .TaTCH IHAT .aes
When the palm of victory had been
granted to the flowers of the valley and
grasses of the field, the Indian approached
and applied the firebrand TO the brown
1sedges Of autumn, and made for himself
an Indian summer sky, while he cleared
his hunting grounds of the extravagant
vegetation that obstructed the chase. $3.50,
Finally the European approached, and,
witnessing the annual burnings of the In
dian, hastily concluded that this was the
means by which the trees had been de-
stroyed ;Sthus forming his theory without
dwelling for a moment on the multitude of
causes capable of producing the same eff
Whether the majority Of our readers
viii accept this theory or not, to me it
seems both plausible and probable. Of
one thing, at least, we may rest satisfied.
The theory which aseribed the lack Of
trees to the excessive f1ueness of the pra-
irie soil has been practically exploded; for
by cultivation, trees can be produced as
well on prairie as on timber soil. Many
Of our. legislators are becoming interested
in this branch of industry, and are offer
ing special inducements to those who
plant trees on their homesteads. The
bsne6ts derived from the proximity of
trees can not well be overestirnated. '"E'
Trees modify the influence of the winds,
which at seasons, are the scourge of our
prairies. They also afford an agreeable
shade and diversity landscape otherwise
monotonousg and, by their yapors, they
attract the moisture Of the clouds, and
precipitate fruitful showers, on regions
once arid and rainless.. .fras ..-,
In proof of the last remark, we refer
the reader to Egypt--a country known for
centuries as rainless region. BY an edict
of recent Pashaw, trees have been plant
ed all along the valley Of the Nile. The
country is now visited by frequent rains,
thus rendering it no longer necessary for
the agrcnlturist to employ the hydraulic
engines of Archmedes, or wait for the an
nual inundation Of the Nile -'.is
We hope our country will soon become
more interested in the subject of Ameri--
can forests. We hope seasonable legisla-
tive enactmeEts will eventually protect
our thrifty forests from the wholesale and
unnecessary slaughter Of the avaricous
woodmen of the North. We hope we
shall not squander the rich gifts bestowed
upon US by bountiful Providence, and,
at length, be compelled to import from
foreign countries material of which we
once had an abundance for a thousand
years.
10 conclusion, the writer confesses to
the scientific reader that he lays no claims
to profound knowledge of geology. He
processes to be only an amateur in o sci
ence which is yet in its infancy, and which
requires the assiduous application of years
to become familiar with its sublime theo--
ries, principles and discoveries.
70 F. s..5 -.s-a.o oo M. L. CURRY.