The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1880-05-04

IT HAS come to be understood at
last that trees are essential factors in
the ffuitfulness OF land. Where they
nave never before grown, re on the
prairies, they are bsiug planted, snc
where they have been tnOughl!essIy
destroyed il is found necessary to re-
place them. Nebraska las one day
in she spring called "Arbor Day."
which is devoted 70 the planting Of
trees, and many hundreds Of them are
"set CUT on that occasion, which ia
made something OF a holiday. Ger
tainly the few boGFs thus employed
could not be put to better use for tie
future Of the state. Colorado is also
paying much attention to tree plant
ing. Some of is heretofore barren
prairies and parched valleys are being
covered with trees placed there by
hand. Here in UtaT there has
been since its FIRST settlement,
good deal o! attention paid to
tree culture, and with most gratifying
results. The value of the trees in this
and ether valleys Of the territory can
scarcely &c estimated. It has been
noticed lha. the present spring has
seen many trees planted, and the
beneficial work. is still progressing.
It is not merely Ghat trees assist the
clouds, CT in some other way pro-
mote rainlalls. They ba7s a good
effect upon the ground Of themselves.
Or. John c. Brown. in his work on
"Foyests and Moisture, says:
In rocky nook, near the cres. OF q
mountain il the Tuscan AppeniGes, there
flowed clear, cOol and perennial fOuE-
tain, uniting three distinct springs in
single current The ancient beeches
around, and particularly above the
spring, were fellad. On the disappear
snce Of the wood the spring ceased TO
flow, except in a thread of water IN rainy
weather, greatly inferior In quality to
that Of the old fountains. The bgeches
were succeeded by frs, and as soon as
they had grown sufficiently TO shade the
soil, the springs began again 10. flow and
gradually returned to their former abuu-
dance AMI quality.
Similar facts have often been OF
served in American clearings, and
hence the interest taken of late years,
all over the country in the care Of
trees and preservation OF forests.
Scientific observation finds many
reasons why trees are valuable. The
beneficial Influences of vegetation go
below the surface. Without trees the
saanly fountains in the Apprentices,
SIS noted by DR.. Brown, and all
similar fountains, are mere surface
water. The better water, Which flows
in the shade of trees, is filtered
through tho oridces made by the
roots, and thus purified. 1t would be
8 UlEAGALII II AOt Ia CITY p4OhtbDl6
industry, II few hundred acres IN
this valley were devoted totree culture
exclusively. There are no natural
forests in Utah, and many
young people who were born
and have grown up IN this
territory, have only such ideas Of forests
IS can be gathered from pictures.
When theseveral canals-in contem
plation and process OF construction
leading from the Jordan shall be
finished, and the water spread over
the valley, an artificial forest should
be created hereabouts. The land re-
ouired might be put to more profit
able use, but it could not be devoted
to anything more agreeable to the
Inhabitants whose eyes are weary
gazing upon barren, rugged noun
tains, and treeless plains.