The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1881-04-01

ess Alexandrine de Gramont, one of the
Frankfort Rotschilds. Love proved
more potent than family traditions.
Our Disappearing Forests
In an address by the President of the
Lumbermen's Exchange, he said that a,
the present rate of destruction of oul
great pine forests for manufacture into
marketable lumber, it will require but
comparatively short period before
these grand stretches of timber will have
been completely exhausted. Twenty
years, ,sat the farthest, will see this result.
unless some preventive method be adopt
ed. Oh the criminal carelessness bor-
dering upon crime of our authorities, our
Congresses, and our State Legislatures,
whichever is responsible, who allow this
this process of depletion, of destruction,
of ruin, to go on year after year, without
any let or hindrance. When the central
portions of this continent became the
abode of the while man, it was one of the
most grand and imposing possible,
because of its grand ''forests primeval, .
spared by even the savage tribes,
in . its native glory. But
how have our civilized ancestors, and
even our G incorporates. abused the
privileges in this respect? New England
was loaded with forests. But our Yam
KEGS went to work to slaughter them.
And long ago the very houses they built
were left to stand alone, not tree left
to windward of them as baracade
against the whistling and bowling
northwest winds of Winter, or the blood
chilling storms from any other quarter.
Long since the beginning of the present
century those native forests were ruth
lessly destroyed, not by the axe OF the
woodman merely, but by fire, for the
blank purpose of destruction.
This might not not have been alto
gether so indefensible had means been
resorted to for the purpose of keeping
portions of the country still covered by
its natural clothing, as in some other
countries where every man who cuts
down forest tree is obliged to plant two
or more young trees to supply the loss,
and so keep the country from being
rendered treeless, and perhaps I'M
inhabitable, because of the droughts
resulting from the destruction of
the forests, the natural promoters OF
rainfall. As in New England. SO nearly
everywhere else within the united States
vi
proceeded. AS our population has pro-
ceeded inland and westward, the forests
have dwindled before them. They de-
stroy. but do not reproduce forests. A
similar process has been going on in the
Southa more particularly since cotton
has become king. While slavery existed
the idea of preserving forests was con-
sidered foolish. The planters did not
think it worth while even to preserve the
soil any more than the forests; but when
one plantation failed through constant
cultivation without any effort for pre-
serving the soil, then an attack upon the
forest was made, and the frebrand fol-
lowed the axe, or proceeded it, and a
new cotton field took the eplace where the
grand old oaks, beeches, magnolias, ma
pies and other trees, had stood, and the
old plantation, reduced to "red earth,
was left to desolation or the slow process
of nature.
Westward the brand of fire and the
woodman's axe took their way, and
similar result followed and is following
still. The Western States and Terrific
ries are being despoiled of their native
forests, those grand bequests OF nature,
the entailed wealth of her treasury. The
statement accompanying the announced
address of the Lumbermen's Exchange
gives the amount of receipts at Chicago
during the last year, as being one billion
five hundred and sixty-four millions feet
of lumber. How long can our forests
Withstand the continual supply of such
an enormous demand as that, and that
amount received at one point alone? On
this Pacific Coast similar process is go
ing on. Already some of our finest for