The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1873-07-16

| use CQe. Htine Ol luS attorney -SCu
eral ex relatione. And [ am,
( With great respect, gentlemen,
/ Your obedient servant, 49,
id, SAM'L w. MELTON, "
/ Acknowledgement.
1.-The Necessity Of Preserving the For
| ests A Great State Park.
in. Northern New York. / -,
One of the best acts of the late
New York Legislature was the ap
fpointment of committee, with En-
EGovcrnor Seymour -at~-its head, to
enquire and report as to the eXpcdi.
erey of preserving the forests which
cover the head-waters of the Hudson
river, and setting them apart as a
grand Public State Park. The com
mittee in their report urge strong
reasons in favor of the project, and
these reasons are of general interest
They show that the preservation OF
the forests has a marked influence
upon the climate Of the State, moder-
ating storms and equaizing the fail
of rain, whilst the clearing of the
forests would endanger the whole
hne Of the Hudson, by leading to the
sudden melting, of the SHOWS and the
consequent destructive inundations
The area of woodland covering this
great?water shed is rather, less than
eight hundred and thirty-fve thou,
sand acres, or sthirteen hundred
isquare miles. The greater part Of
fthis immense wilderness = which is
only valuable for its, timber, the land
being worthless for agricultural pur
poses-is owned by lumbermep, OF
by parties in their interest the
quantity owned by the State, and re-
naming unsold, being less than forty
thousand acres. The commissioners
are clear in their convictions that
the enSire area protect ny tho sources
OF the Hudson should be bought. ur
and held permanently by the State
|
1t is at this, time Of very little value
some OF it, as the records snow, sci
ling quite recently as low as five cents
an acre.
The facts adduced in the report
are worthy Of consideration every
where. The influence of large for
ests is not to increase, says the re
port, the. annual rainfall, but tt
Ecause its distribution in. ffequen,
showers, whilst their absence induces
droughts, followed by sudden storms
and disastrous foods. The cutting
down of the forests diminishes the
| supply OF water in the streams OF
rivers by drying up the springs
brooks, and rilis W hich form thei,
sources, and is attended by the sud
den extremes Of tenn l,erature which
bring about storms and floods. ~
In support Of the statements and
recon mmeudations Of the report the
New York Herald says: i
ave have shown from time to time
that vast timberless regions are sub
icct to the fercest extremes Of hea,
and cold and Of droughls and inunda
tions where they arc not utterly
rainiess; we have shown from .histor
ical r. cords how countries, which bac
been rich aud fruitful while covered
ito a. great extent with woods, be
came dry and sterile from the de
struction of their timber. In support
of these instructive and important
facts to our destructive people we
may here remind them that if .oul
States aud Territories Of the grea,
West are. peculiarly subject TO lorna
does, water spouts. deluging rain:
and to all the violent .alternaions
known in the climates Of the temper
ate zoue, it is because the great Wes'
i IS mostly a region Of .timberlest
4 prairics, over which the elements have
free play and have nothing to arrest
them in their wild eaprices; and that
on, the other hand, if our Atlantic
], slope. from the Allcghanies. to the
q sea, is comparatively exempt from
these destructive visitations :, o.
thoughts and hurricanes and delugins
/ foods, it is because Of its FORESTS
wh ch serve at.once to produc,a a gen
tier and more general diffusion .
our rsinfali, and to retain it to feee
: the soil and to maintain q continuon;
supply to our living wells, springs
lakes and streams. ."rT5@ =.
a.iEDUcAE1oNAL CoNVENuoN.-W'
1 direct attention to the notice Of th'
meeting Of the Educational Con
fvention at Greenwood, on the 2O'l
4 August, which appears in anothe
column. The meeting is an i'm
! 2 + - - Il u.