The Daily state journal. [volume] (Alexandria, Va.) 1868-1874, 1873-08-27

One of the most interesting and practi-
cal papers read before the Science congress
was one by Professor Franklin b. HOugh
on the economic value of forest timber.
The discourses on brachiopods, the gas
eous constitution of the SUM-, the move
ment in the lobes in the Catalpa and the
rotation of the planets would hardly enlist
the popular taste, but public attention has
been SO frequently called to the rapid de-
struction OF our forests that anything
which science can suggest on this point
will be welcome. Prof. Hough attributed
the growing tendency to floods and drouths
to the clearing up Of woodlands by which
the rains quickly find their way into the
streams, often swelling them into destruc-
tive floods instead of sinking into the
earth to reappear as springs. lie noted
also that aside from the direct effect of shell
ter and shade afforded by trees, the evapora-
ton of rain-drops that fall upon the leaves
and the chemical action of the leaves them
selves have marked influence on the hu-
midity and temperature of the air beneath
and around them. The contrast in very
dry season between an open and sunburnt
pasture and one interspersed with clumps
of trees must have been noticed by every
careful observer, and the actual relative
profits of farms entirely without trees and
those literally shaded, everything else being
equal, will show at least in grazing districts,
the advantage Of the latter in the ve'ue OF
their annual products. .t
u puo,a,ar uo,.h oc,,
seuerol conntr;as Enr ~ d S 'aIs da5 tnas
systems Of manaeement and reau,at;on % 'SJ of
national forests as measure of govern-
ment policy and public economy. Russia.
Turkey, Austria. Germany. Italy, France.
Denmark, Sweden. and more recently
British India. have taken the matter in
hand. The present French forest code was
established in 1927. r. intrusts the care of
public forests to the ministry of finance
under director general. assisted bv two
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES CHARGED with the
manaoement Of forests and the sale of mo-
ducts. and the other with the nolice Of the
forest and the forest laws. Tn the depart-
ments there are thirtv-two c,nservators each
in charge of one or more denartments' oc-
cordine to the extent of forest in each.
The immediate supervision is intrusted to
0drdes 0enereaur. who live near and per-
Sonallv snnerinfend tho work of forest
Guards. The latter live in the forest and
act as police oyera certain range. They
personally observe the onerations ond re-.
port all infraciions of tbe laws. No tim
Der is cut until marked. and most of The
saw-mills are owned bv the government
and rented to the wood merchants. The
system has been extended to Algeria.
where several rainy DAYS have heen added
to july and August by forest culture.
II ;s of oo,rse ;dc,t h.t s,oh ,o,,,,
,;ans oo,',5 W at ~ 1;a5 ';,a' aaon ia
am% ' puocsso, os o' TT M npPleu ~ .i's s oouny,
% as ;na;ootam oe on Tsn .ne,eiy .at o:es .tieil
a.. oiS eu'h.not TT IL EuroPeah sel'ithel' on
,aon,o @ o"o uJ,'s. ,hI s1s 5 say1 'as no;his Inc
peoR tho ;sJon u1o "f Ee e oaaet aiI,oe t;ho
II mmst coMn - ndora.e JieI. ,h.t tnboa tsac
or . forest nIonteI ~ ;s "n ;n1ssiman. ss of oan ne
al ;.a,'a;.. !. aii ,nvo'oho u o"p