The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1877-05-26
CLIMATOLOtiY.
THE PROPOSED DESERT or SAHARA
CANAL.
A SYSTEM OF CLIMATIC INTERNAL, I'M.
PHOvEMENTs.
How the climate ana Fertility of n eeun-
try Can be Maafaea and Changed.

The terrible forest fires even now pre-
vailing in New York are owing, says the
New York Herald, to, "the absence Of
the usual spring rains and the phe-
nomenal temperature prevailing In
Northern New York"
This absence OF spring rains end this
phenomenal temperature are getting
too customary; they are now no longer
phenomenal but annual.
A study of the drouths and conse-
auent forest fires OF the past few years
has resulted in the discovery that dis
tinet belt Of country has been most
affected. while on both sides plenteous
rains have fallen, and the earth has
yielded uncommonly good crops. Be-
ginning below Washington, the drouth
has every year followed regular path.
way, varying between one hundred and
| two hundred miles in width, northward
through New Jersey and Pennsylvania
to Philadelphia, thence across New
Jersey to New York, taking in Long
Island and portion of Westchester
county, and then returning following
the line of the Erie Railway to the
lakes, taking in Southern Canada and
Northern Ohio, and then westward
across Michigan. Southern Wisconsin
and Northern Illinois. The forest fires
yet raging, partially confirm this dis
eovery. Beginning at Nova Scotia,
they have iourneyed direct into this
dry belt, and have followed 1t In all It's
Iinclinations along lower Canada and
into New York, along the Erie Railway
to Southern New York.
The climate OF this country, once
good. Is fast becoming worse and worse,
until 1t looks as IL America was destined
to the same fate as the once rich regions
OF Northern Africa, now desert; and
all OF this terrible change in our climate
Is due wholly to human agencies.
changed its nature and Its climate since
Uortez discovered it. The Spaniards
tried to make 1t an imitation Spain by
cutting down the forest. The result has
been that the once beautiful lakes that
made Mexico IN American Venice have
shrunk into shallow ponds and swan ps.
Rains are less frequent, the temperature
hotter and the soil less fertile.
!, With criminal negligence the people
j Of this country are following the ex-
ample OF the Spanish conquestadores
and fast running It's climate. We ore
now suffering from host of evils, the
fruit either OF ignorance or oil q def
ance Of all the principles OF elimatology
the grasshoppers, the forest fires in
the North, the alternate drouth and
freshets, and the increased risings
aud crevasses Of the Mississippi. al
these evils have been clearly traced tt
; these outrages on nature; all these evils
, are growing moro threatening each
Z year, and unless some attempt Is made
, to prevent such things happening fr
Z future, America will soon bs altogether
an uninhabitable country. O Western
. Sahara.
At the same time that we are reck
, lessly spelling our climate and it's fertil
ity, Europe Is maturing some OF the
(, grandest schemes to restore its wOrn-Ou
; fields to their pristine fertility, and a
i the same time improving it's climate HHt
! health.
: The climate Of Europe has undergone
! q great change within historic periods
!, just such change as We are now under
. going. In the days OF Virgil and TIN
elder PliDy the Tiber was covered witt
: O HrIn sheet OF Ice every year. and th
/ depth of snow In Tuscany often reached
: O. foot and half, while now hardly on,
y ice is formed south of the Alps, an
o snow commonly meIts an hour after
:, reaches the ground. The first Ro
I man colopsts of the Rhine trie'
J. in vain to cultivate the grape
: Of their native country: they coul
never survive that hyperborean winter
. and even the hardy variety OF Dalmati
o refused to put forth flowers In land tha
J, now produces the vintage OF Hochhein
I and Johannisberg. The European Cau
. casus. which now enjoys climate re
9 sembling that of our North Caroina
was once afflicted with such mountain
q GUS loads OF snow that Latin poet im
u agined the touch OF hot iron might b
= tempered by mere thought OF 'froze
q Caucasus" The Danube ia the days 9
q Tactus was in icy fetters for seve
. months in the year from Ratisbon t
y Vienna, where ice is seen rarely nos
y after the middle Of March.
The disappearance OF the forests ba
70 gradually modified the Temperature
% and the old world has grown warme
!. and DRYER, often TO such degree tina
t. the cultivators OF the soil would gladl
> welcome Siberian winter IL they eoul
u only get little rain now and then.
W North Africa, which seems TO becOm
o slowly, but surely, engulfed by the san
y drifts OF the Sahara, was once equal t
n Mexico In fertility, and far surpassed
J. in cultivation, rs we'll In regard to tn
i soil as to the minds Of the inhabitants
Is As late as G7O, q good while after tn
:, rise of the Mohammedan, power, tn
q country now known as Trlpoli, an
t. distinct from the Sahara only throug
" the elevation of it's mountains, wa
is the seat of eighty five Christia
70 Bishops, and had a population OF 81
1t millions, Of which number three q1al
g. ters OF one per cent are now left. In
climate which, according to authenti
20 description, must once have resemble
r, that Of our Southern Alleghauies,
l. now 30 nearly intolerable that even tn
Dr. inhumanity of an African despot fol
y bears to exact open-air labor from 1
Of m. to p. m. Steamboats, that pa:
I'd near the Tripolitan coast in summer, o
IL their way from Genoa to Cairo, have
le keep up continual shower OF artitieit
Id rain, to save their deck hands from bt
st ing overcome by the furnace air ths
i'll breathes from the barren hills OF th
ID opposite coast.
ut All this change is due to the insar
o, destruction OF forests. An animl
i'll fayed or tree stripped OF It's bar
in does not perish more surely than lar
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