Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1872-05-22
agricultural.
Preservation Of Forests.

Preservation Of Forests.
In this country Of great things, whore th,
mountains are the highest, the rivers tht
longest. and the waterfalls the most -Jupcn
dous of any in the world, q solitary tree
SENS 70 have no value at all La short. We
have so much more land TO the acre, Sc
70 sneak, than those who live IN the straight
ened territories Of % effete d., spots, that {,
take care Of so little thing as a tree seems
TO be as notable an act of generosity as TheI
nv uncle Toby put that fy out Of the win
dow.
In spite of the appearan q of boundessness
however. which our resources possess, there
i a limit to them. When a man cuts dOwr
a thousand trees in his lifetime, and never
plants one and when all the mans neigh
bors, and their neighbors, too are following
his example, it is easy TO see that even such
immense forests as once covered this country
must some day disappear. Already this IL
comparatively true in certain parts % the
United States and the cOuss Ient evil re
suits are en- now visible. The temper
ture is less equable, drouShts are more com
mon, our rivers are dwind!ed IN volume
springs are drying up, rain storms are NOR
sudden and severe and more property IS des-
troyed by Fl pods, the winters are colder /; IN
a word. all the bencfcent influences which
large lIdCLs u MOONidu1 HAC SdASAAAANN ~
exert in nature are dropping out of every
day history OF an even pace with the wanton
destruction of the forests.
These evils are beginning to force them
selves upon public attention bill has been
introduced in Congress by Mr.. Haldemau, oi
Pennsylvania, for the preservation and plant
ing of trees, and in this State the subject
has been before the legislature. The bill
Of Mr.. Haldeman is urged simply as mi
upon the question. It provides for the pres
ervation Of a certain pereen' age Of existing
timber on each quarter section of land now
.lOngfng to the Cnitet States, for the plant
ing and cultivation Of certain percentage
of woods on each quarter section Of the pun
lie lands which may hereafter be granted,
and which Is now destitute Of forests, anu 10
the cultivation of a larger 'antity Of trees
on the western praIrIes, and IN districts
where there is now complete absence OF
70 ests
The EUening Post has for many years sup
ported the Objects aimed az by this bill.
Even If the destruction of the forests 10 the
United States had not yet produced any aP-
parent evils, the experience Of the countries
of Europe would be sufh lent 70 warn us Oi
the niger Of denuding the country Of tim
Der. But we are not forced to 90 TO other
lands for an argument. 10 q recent speech
made by Mr. Haldeman on this subject we
find matter for the graVest apprehension
He says
" We are threatened with a want OF stuff
cient quantity OF timber 10 meet the actual
necessities Of life Twenty million people
are living N dwellings chiefly constructed D.
wood their barns and outbuildIngs arc OF
wood the fencing Of their farms, more cz-
penslve than tier other improvements, is OF
wood and all these are perlshsble with
time. Moreover, our sixty thousand miles
Of railroad cJLsume annually immense guam
tin, of timber. Twenty one thousand six
hundred cords of wood are daily consumed IN
running railway trains three hundred and
twenty thousand miles each twenty four
hours ) .xty thousand miles Of road 7, quire
twenty-five hundred ties TO the mile aud IS
they must be replaced every i've years an
annual consumption of thirty million ties is
required. We will soon construct each year
ten Thousand miles of new road requiring
twenty-five million more ties, and wuen we
add to all these sources of forest destruction
the wood required in the fencing Of these
railroads, the half million telegraph poles
which each year will be required, and the
vast amount of the d strucJIJn OF forest by
food and fire, we mnst be absolutely starSlt .
with the conviction that V hole provinces o.
woods which have required hundred years
TO grow are each year being swept away
while nothing is being done bg either public
authority or private zeal to supply the place
Of that which is destroyed, or protect IN at y
measure that which exist "
These are - hard facts, and whether peO-
pie mind them or not to-day, they will give
them thought hereafter. 10 France tie Tor
ests were cut down with the utmost reckless
ness, and Tor the last thirty years her fertile
valleys have been swept by terrible floods.
carrying away all kinds of property and Gov
ering the rich soil with gravel and sand. ln
Russia the forests are beginning to disap-
pear and law is now in force making it
illegal to use anything but coal for fuel 90
the railroads. The timber lands Of Germany
are under the special protection OF the gov
eminent, while IN Japan every one who cuts
down tree Is complied at once to plant
another. The experience of these countries
foTeshadows that of our OVID. IhOughtless
men and reckless corporations may go Oh
stripping the land of It's forests, but at last
every one will be convinced OF the necessity
of a change.
Mr.. Haldeman gives many curious facts
concerning the influence of large forests upon
a country Speaking of the relation between
trees and the amount of rain, he says;
10 Egypt, both at Alexandra and in the
of Cairo, rain seldom formerly
fell /; and during the NapoleOnic expedition
but 1t is within my own personal experience
that since the great plantations of fores by
Mehemet Ali and IbrahIm Pachl. showers
are frequent in the Delta and even at Carlo /
the rainfall is often copious in the winter
months Sayg NJ Babinst in his lectures
Sur les Sciences d. Observation
"A few years az , it never rained IN low
r Egypt. The constant north winds passed |
Without obstuc.i ion over a surface bare of We |
set4tiou- But since the planting out of |
arge forests az OBSTACLE has been interposed |
70 the current OF air from the north. The /
Air thus checked ascum mates, dila les. CO Jls,
snd yields rain. The forests of the Vosges /
and Ardennes produce the came effects In the |
lorthsa EAST of France, aud send us great |
Iver, the MsIse, which is as rem .rka BILE for (
q vo,ums as for the smll extent of its |
)asin.'''
1 another part Of his speech he mentions
he effect of large forests in purifying the at
a JspIere, az follows:
g wish t. ell ate alton to the benefcent
Il ;cs of forests ia the diffds on of mi .sm4.
'scqIerel, ia ais wIc& u C.tnt.s, sIys tht5
al ~ cII-s;i wi R-tsdI.t: vtJJ;s