Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1873-12-17
Wood aud Water.
FrOm Harner,s waaLlu

FROM Harper's Weekly.
One OF the most interesting and valuable
of recent congresses is that of the land and
forest cultivators at Vienna The Italian,
Dutch, German, Belgian, French. Hunea-
rian people and governments were repre-
scented, and the United States had deputy
present, who was probably self-appointed.
There were about four hundred members.
and the chief point of the discussions was
preservation OF the forests as protection
of the winter supply. 1t is subject in
which this country is not less Interested
than Europe Already in many parts OF
New England there is serious decline in
the supply of water, and the value of trees
for something else than lumber or sugar ia
making itself plainly felt. The volume of
water in the Ohio is stated in the report of
the congress to be evidently diminishing.
The same is true of the Hudson, upon
which the extent of navigable wateris year.
ly reduced. In the Old World the summer
low-water mark of the Elbe in 1887 showed
diminished supply in half century of
ten feet. The Rhine and the ODER have
likewise declined.
The facts presented to the congress are
striking. Many rivers have entirely disap-
peared, or are shrunken to little streams
In Palestine the springs are dry. The Jor-
Greece has suffered severely from the fall of
the forests. In Hungary the drought is
periodical Sardinia and Sicily have lost
their ancient fruitfulness. On the other
hand there were formerly but five of six
days of rain during the year in the Delta
of lower Egypt, but since Mehemet Ali
planted some twenty millions of trees, the
number of rainy days is forty-fve or six.
Ismalia, upon the Suez Canal, was built
upon sandy desert, but since the ground
has been saturated with water, trees, bushes,
and plants have grown, and with the ap-
pearance of vegetation the climate has
changed. -Four or five years ago, says the
report, rain was unknown in these regions,
but in the year from May, 1868, to May
1869, there were fourteen days of rain So
also, near Trieste, finely wooded region
was desolated by the Venetians, and twenty
five years ago rain had ceased to fall. But,
to save the country from total abandonment
the Austrian government planted several
millions Of olive-trees. The very soil was
conveyed in baskets; but, with care, the
trees took root and thrived. It is stated
also that the conversion of the desert of
Utah into blooming country has raised the
Salt Lake seven feet above its old level
! Such facts, collected from every country
facts of forest destruction and coincident
decline of the water supply, with the fur
Their fact that rivers are independent of ma
tional lines-have suggested the wisdom Of
international action. The Austrian Minis.
ter of Agriculture was president of the
congress, and he was authorized to commu-
nicate with other governments to secure in
ternational agreement upon the subject.
The resolutions declare that only by such
international action can the increasing de-
/ vastation of the forests, with all its conse-
quences, be stayed that it is the mutual
duty OF civilized states to preserve carefully
the forests that are of vital Importance to
the land, such as those at the cources and
along the courses OF rivers, upon sea-coasts
and steep mountain sides; and thai inter-
national principles should be laid down, to
which the owners of such guardian forests
should be subject. The congress recognized
that it had not as yet sufficient knowledge
Of all the evils resulting from this devasta-
ton, and demanded more copious and ex-
act data. The Importance Of the movement
is that it commands attention to subject
which has hitherto had no associated and
imposing presentation. In this country.
especially, it should be carefully considered,
because, while so much woodland remains.
it is still devastated with reckless ignorance.
The agricultural papers and the cattle-show
orators could do no more signal service
than to point out the reality and the reason.
and the extont of the evil. : The Agricul.
tural Department at Washington will, we
hope, think it worth some effort to keep the
agricultural community informed of the
action consequent upon the congress, in
whose deliberations we see the dawn of a
better day for the trees and the birds, those
two faithful and useful friends of the
American farmer, which he has too long
disregarded.