The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1878-04-11

d
export annually eight million dollars
worth OF leather, and If it were kr. ,WE
whence We could obtain the material te
enable us to tan leather ct d still les,
cost, our exports might bs increased two.
fold to the advantage of that portion oui
laboring population.
"rhe resi,lta Of the forest fires and
their occurrence and preservation" Is the
caption of another chapter, and would
only ask, if there are not towns and
villages in our Northwestern States that
would have paid the cost Of printing this
report could they have been allowed
within tho past four years to circulate
this chapter among taeir neighborsf
The next chapter speaks Of the "in-
sect ravages of forests, diseases, and
other destroying agenoie." What can
be Of more immediate interest to the agri.
cultural communities of our country Z
Entire forest belts arr sometimes ewept
out or existence by insects, and il in
this chapter we are to be advised of q
remedy, that alone will be worth the cost
of publication.
Next comes the question Of the elm
portance of forests to agriculture. A vital
question; none more SO. To-day the
thoughtiees farmer fells his forests with
the hope aud prospect of immediate gain,
never for one moment believing that tho
great cause of agriculture 10 injured lust
to the extent that he assists in denudinn
the earth of the covering nature gave it.
IT. by reading this chapter, he can be
restrained and induced to preserye and
indeed Increase his forest area, wiz "a
not be amply repaid for tho apprupria.
hohY From almost every section Of CIR
country comes the vail that the climate
has changed or some other cause exists
that prevents our lands producing as
they did years ago. Who can say that
tho destruction of cur forests is not the
cssase of this IFy6tteTiou5 cihange. Fer.
haps there are data enough In thio chap
ter to satisfy the thoughtful agriculturist.
This Is followed by chapter or disser.
tation upon the manner In which Tho
forests of Europe are managed. Are we
too old to learn from these experienced
scisntists? Years ago the farmers of
Europe were as reckless and thou0htless
aB are The farmers Of America, and today
they realize the folly of their reckless.
ness. The annual freshetn of the Po and
other European rivers arc national en-
lamities. Their cause is directly as.
crited to the destruction of tho forests
upon tho adjacent hillsides. No one can
tell how many millions of acies of fertile
low lands have in this country been
rendered hopelessly barren from the
same cause. Torrents of rainfall are
annually washing from our denuded hill
oides gulches of barren sand upon our
irreyocably, ruined bottom lands, while
the soluble fertility 10 awept by the
rivers current into tho ocean. Let uu
learn fro.n those more experienced 6
lesson as to how to arrest this accelerated
fs.GSg.eass fs.GSs 70, destruction. II Europe mas
discovered that preservation Of her
forests 10 preservation of her coil, let us
become adopts in this l,chool of learning
# the lnxuriant leaves of our forest trees
check the fall, and the myriad rootletr
retard tho flow os rain-water that fre.
quently poars from our summers clouds
at the rate of an inch in depth 20 Q
minute of time, then let us cherish the
trunks that bear those leaves and encour.
age the growth of those miniature root
lets. a
Europe has her schools of foreatry, and
the next chapter In this report treats o.
that nubJcct. are we too learned to re-
ceive instruction from this source also {
II this report tells Us what Eurooe Il
doing, let ns kneg the feet, snd lei oiii
farmers learn what older nations are do
Ing upon oubject of such vital impor
tance to their vocation.
8as tlas last ehsptar IL ye-hens sls
most important, and that treats Of thS
influence of forests on climate Mr.
Speaker, who can tell us to-day whal
effect this denudation Of our country
mas upon our climate7 Why the sudde;T
and unprecedented changes in our eli.
Hrato in almost every section of this broad
land? Whence the cause of the pcfiod;s
droughts annually experienced ncT.a,
daya throughout our cotton belt? Nc
one can aay that denudation and conse,
quent rapid evaporation is not the cause
ME. Sneaker, :hess aTo tho various
topics treated of in the frat volume o,
this report. The second volume 10 ons
Of statistics, which we do not aak q
have published, but which, I belieye
uhould appear with the other as informa
ton for the people. e
I have made o calculation OF the Gee
of publishing $4,000 copies of this re-
port, provided it covers no moro thar
$50 pages. It will not exceed 9il, 200.
Mr. bingleton--Di6 you gst that from
the Public Printer7 II
DIR. Aiken--Yes; end I can stste an
other fact for the benefit or this Houpe
and beg the members to hear and re
member Il. While $4,000 copies. of thil
report. If ppblished by the government
printing establishment here in Washing
ton, where house rent, fuel and gaB an
suppli6d at the expense of the govern
ment, will cost $11 200, I can take th.
very sania job to Philadelphia aud hav,
j done by private parties for $4,000
Fifty thousand copies of this work vii
cost but $21 900, and 100000 copie,
vonid not coss as much as you nav Z,
e. rea or four officials of this governnSen
in ite shape of annual salaries. and i
was tOS the printing Of this last numbe
that the Committee on Agriculture askes
In their report. submit, Mr.. Speaker
that the report Of the COMMITTEES oi
Printing, proposing to publish onl,
5000 copies Of this volume, which cor
taiEs so much Invaluable information
upon the agricultural and manufacturin,
industries Of our country, Is unreasopa
bly, economical, and /, trust the Hous
will adopt my amendment proposine +
nahlish 2H . 1Gn Aerse- .
Mr. singleton,-The Committee o.
Printing have no feoling about this ma;
ter. 1 desire to Ley before the Hous
What tho Committee on Agriculture did
The gentleman has told but q part;
| With to tell tho balance. The committe
recommended to the House the publica
ton OF 100000 copies Of ti.ia sport, en-
bracing 1850 pages, $50 pages of w.lic
the Committee on Printing propose I
4 akril.cA hnn.,