Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1872-05-30
Preservation of the Forest.

Prominent among the doing. OF the 4 girl
cultural Convention, held not long since in
Washington, al the call of the Department
OF Agriculture. was plan for the preser-
walton of the forests. This embraced the
substance Of bill which. it was the strong
~ expressed view OF the Convention.
ought, at an early day. to become law OF
the United States. The proposed bill was
TO the effect that hereafter all sales of the
public lands should be upon the condition
that a certain per centage of the timber on
them should be allowed TO remain. IL they
were already timbered; or. if not. that a
certain proportion should be planted and
preserved as forests. All warrants aud
deeds from the United States TO be given
on this express condition. and certain al
lowances to be granted. which wosld make
il an additional object for purchasers care
fully 10 conform 10 the provisions OF the
law. Recently, we notice, the Hon. Rich
ard j. Halaeman, of Pennsylvania. has i'll
troduced bill in Congress. substantially
covering these provisions. and has sup
ported the measure by speech which it
would be well If the people would every
where read.
Earnestly as public attention has been
turned to the preservation of the forests Of
late, the call has come none too soon. and
probably been pressed nowhere too urgent
ly. While different distribution would
have been desirable. probably the wants of
the people would be Lo more than met if
a. large proportion OF the whole land a.
was ever forest had remained permanent
IL woode :. And vet the destruction at
timber in the wooded districts has been
reckless in the extreme. The fire aud the
axe have done their work, as If the forests
grew only a. pest to be destroyed.
The facts in regard TO our necessary con-
sumption OF timber have often been
brought forward, but Mr.. Haldeman very
terseiy groups part of them when, in his
speech, he says: Twenty millions of peo-
pie are living in dwellings. chiefly con-
siructed of wood; and all these are per
lshable with time. Moreover. our sixty
thousand miles of railroad consume an
nually immense quantities OF timber
Twenty-one thousand six hundred cords of
wood are consumed in running railway
trains (three hundred thousand miles) each
twenty-four hours. Sixty thousand miles
OF road require twenty five hundred tie. to
the mile and as they must be replaced
every five years, an annual consumption OF
thirty million ties is required. We shall
soon construct each year ten thousand
miles of new road, requiring twenty-five
million more ties and when we add to all
these sources of forest destruction, the
wood required in the fencing Of these ra H.
roads, the half-million telegraph poles
which each year will be required, and the
vast amount of the destrUc tion Of the for
est by food and fire, We must be absolutely
startled with the conviction that whole
provinces of woods, which have required q
hundred years to grow are each year being
swept away. while nothing is being done
by either public authority or private zeal
10 supply the place Of that which is de-
Ia. a. =
exists"
1t certainly looks as IL a timber famine
was imminent. Nay, We have already be-
gun to feel it, and it will yet pinch US terri
bly, unless we open our eyes to the danger.
But this is not the only aspect of the case
The influence Of forests upon health upon
climate; upon rain a I'd dew for our grow
idg crops, has hardly begun to be thought
of as it deserves. In respect to the last.
for example, how general and urgent the
complaint of drouths of late. Streams
are dry; mills are stopped; city water
works on short supply farms parched aud
crops perishing-such has been the staple
Of Summer reports for q few years past
And there can hardly be doubt that much
of the difference in this respect between
the present state of things and that which
existed q few years ago is traceable to the
destruction Of the forests. If any one
questions this, let him read the evidence on
the subject brought forward by Mr.. Marsh
in his very able discussion of it in Man
and Nature. where he adduces many in
stances Of springs and streams dried, and
lakes failing, when forests have been
cleared away, ibut which returned again
when the forests grew a second time. In
deed, there can be but little doubt that the
present barrenness Of all Northern Africa
and of Palestine is largely due to this cause
The present and the last ruler of Egypt, it
is said, have planted more than twenty
million of trees, and since these have be-
gun to grow ran has become quite common
where before 1t was almost unknown. A
similar difference has been found in st.
Helena, where, within few years, forests
have begun to be extensively cultivated
And 20 of other places. distinguished
French metsorologist has said that, ito
produce rain, q forest was Is good Is Q
mountain" and 1t 10 easy to believe It true.