The anti-monopolist. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1874-1878, 1878-01-03
The -Anti-AIonoIoollst.

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age we live in, secured the late VIE
tories Of our naval sovereignty. IN
cure at the admiralty how the fleets
Of Nelson have been constructed. ana
they can tell yon that it WAS with the
oaks which the genius Of Evelyn
planted. Literary Character. p.
"a
Mr.. Greeley. in the New York Tri-
bune Of the 9Th Of June, 1866. said
This need not he. aud must not
continue. The plains are not all
sterile. Their soil is fall Of alk;slin.
substances which strongly condi.ce to
fertility. Salt Lake City is built on
a bench or 'swale five thousand feet
above sea-levei and nearly inclosed
by lofty mountains. and no tree had
grown on this or any kindred tract
within the human tradition till the
Morm0ns settled there: and now.
/. being Irrigated. it is EN- lowered in
shade and fruit tr,es. 1t might more
easily have been converted into
dense forest. And we judge that
there IS no spot on the continent be-
lsrhmus Of Darien and the siNtieth
degree Of north latitude where living
water can be procured which cannot
be readily covered with trees.
Where water cannot be had. the case
! is more difficult. VET the red cedar
and the mountain pine @ron on the
drvest. most sterile mountains: while
the redwood and perhaps the big
trees OF California may be equally
independent Of water.
Fire is the chief enemy of forests
and dry regions, and had doubtless
been dealing with them Us man is
now dealing with the buffalo for cen
turtles. We saw ample evidence that
timber was formerly less scarce on
the plains and in the great basin than
it now is. while in Ill the prairie
states where roads and settlement
have limited the sweep of prairie
fires, there is Il steady increase of
timber. We do not say {as many .;o)
that Illinois has more timber growing
to-day than she had fifty years ago;
hut We do say that her timber is far
better distributed than in 1915, and
thus better adapted to the needs and
uses of mankind
The manner III which fruit trees Of
different kinds and originating in
different regions and climates have
been transferred to this country and
successfully cultivated 10 the uumbel
Of many millions is the mos. complete
answer to aii ,tOutlters. 'i'he orchards
Of the United States, ii collected in
one locality. would cover hundreds al
thousands of acres. If sueh results
have been achieved with these most
tender ana precautions foreign treas.
why c0ailtl they not be attained with
the hardy forest trees Of orr own
country II we can raise groves OF
the peach can We not raise forests Of
the oa,1 OF the maple
There is an additional fact III sus-
tain Mr. Grceley's statement. that
trees and groves may be grown nv the
aid OF irrigation even IN the midst Of
the sage and the cactus plains. The
French Government las been boring
;srtesial wells i'll the great African
desert. and wherever the water bub-
hles TO the surface an oasis springs
up. Lahonlaye. in his beautiful tale
OF HE .Four-l .eayed Clover. has
given a charming account Of the de-
velopnent Of such Il well ii the
desert with its palm trees and It's
N-3gbling birds. But there Is Il VAST
region Il oi,i country almost uuinahi-
table which could be rendered 50 By
the presence Of groves and forests.
and where they could be made to
grow without irrigation. ] refer Cd
the Territory Of Dakota, to Nebraska,
and 10 western Minnesota and 10
a II ~. ~ 10.
border land between the timbered
country ana The arid interior. IN the
greater part Of this country the forest
W0nld be almost spontaneous. Little
Woulds he needed but to protect
the young growth from fire and do
nestle cattle. and where no sponta-
neous growth of brush appeared to
plant groves in such localities as will
be most iavoracle. along the banks Of
streams or lakes, or near moist or
springy places.
/ quote with pleasure The following
extract from late number Of the
Wisconsin Farmer:
AS All evidence Of the facility with
which timler may be produced. we
have only 10 observe results in Iocalj-
f-tES iASAc li!t = DOHsdiltItlS grow III
has been preserved by provi.ient
farmers. and we have seen no better
examples than are to be found IN
Grant comfy. There large tracts OF
grub land have been left to grow I'D
where the timber had been cut off or
destroyed by fires, and these groves.
OF ali sizes. from Il few acres M 10
hundreds Of acres which every where
skirts the prairies. form one If the
most delightful features OF that re-
eion. These sappli nes are mostly
oak and hickory, anu cover the
ground 50 tfickly that az 4 little dis
lance their tall, straight trunks seem
to form III iimpenetrabIe wall al tim
Der, and this new growth is already
furnishing supplies OF fuel and
fencing.
Zone gentleman in Potosi informed
rs that twenty years before he had d
tract covered with heavy timber
which he cRt of clean and left to
grow up to young timber. and that
the yonng growth would cut twenty
five cords Of wood to the acre. In
deed.it is thought by some that there
is as much weight Of timber III Grant
county now rs there was twenty Years