Morning journal and courier., 1881-02-05
Saturday Morning, Feb. 5, 1881.
FOREST CULTURE,

The subject of forest culture has received comparatively little attention in this country A few far-seeing men have become interested in it, but they have not been able to impress the people with it's importance to any great extent There are, however, gratifying signs that the popular indifference concerning this matter is not to continue much longer It Is time that there should be change, for while there is no immediate danger of wood becom- ing so scarce in the United States that we shall have to send abroad for furniture or fuel, yet at the rate at which our industries which demand a large quantity of wood have increased, we shall soon begin to feel the ex- haustion of walnut and ether valuable woods in the high prices of articles manufactured from the same. To give an idea of the reck- less rapidity with which our forests are dis appearing, it may be stated that not many years ago, just previous to the settlements in Wisconsin, and the upper peninsula of Mich igan, 10, COG, GOO acres of land were covered with valuable forests. In 1870, after deduct ing what had been sold and burned, it was found that about 4 1000, ,OO0 acres remained. By careful statisticians, the removal of for
 
 be at the rate of 330, 900 acres annually. In few years more at this rate the inhabitants of those parts will be buying even their fire wood from outsiders
 Unlike the United States, European countries are alive to the importance of for est culture. Especial attention is paid to the matter in Prussia, and MT. Zimmer man, con ot hos to the State department an interest ing and valuable account of Prussian forestry There have been schools in Germany for the study of forestry since 1717 Under the present system before admittance to the for estry academy can be obtained, the applicant must be under twenty-five years of age; must have certificates to the effect that he has passed the requisite final examination at Prussian gymnasium or ''realschule'' of the highest grade; and that he has passed his ex- aminations as ele0e forester; and that he has good character, and possesses the means l necessary for his subsistence while studying ! at the academy. There is in Prussia trained body of men devoting all their energies to the advancement of the science of forestry, A thorough forester in Prussia is an adept in l natural history relative to forests and their in habitants; somewhat of geologist, botanis. l and chemist; and the possessor of good l general knowledge of the laws of his country, 1 He knows every foot of land in his district ! at the various stations he notes the rainfall, the force and direction of the prevailing wlnds their humidity and dryness, the l temperature, etc. For the encouragement ! and assistance given to these men by the ! State, the return made by them in the man | agement of it's forest interests is of the great est value The Prussian forestry corps at | present consists of l chief general master | forester, general master foresters, 30 chief | master foresters, 1 forest director in Hano- ! 3,354 district foresters, 356 forest keepers I and 70 other minor officials
 One of the subjects most thoroughly and l attentively studied at present at the forest | academies and stations in Prussia is the in- | fuence of the forests on climate and the fer | tility of the soil. As warnings to wood de- stroyers, large tracts of land are pointed out | in various countries which formerly ! were covered with forests within whose | borders were springs and brooks, | where now, man having thoughtlessly | stripped the land of it's trees, the eye looks | in vain for grass plot. The sunbeams un- hindered strike the naked earth and raise the | temperature of it and the neighboring air to | a high degree; in the night, however, this | heat is quickly and freely given out into l space and the temperature suddenly sinks. 1 Sufficient rain does not fall, nor does it fall | regularly, but pours down in torrents and no | good comes of it. The arid ground cannot | retain the moisture, but from the dry sur | face the fallen water evaporates like ether, | in it's effort to grow. These students are | ouw satisfied that the forest moderates the | extremes of temperature and ameliorates the climate. It is especially worthy of note that the daily temperature of forests does not reach so high point in summer as that of open fields, nor in winter does it sink so low Changes of temperature do not occur so sud | denly in the forest, for ground shaded by trees becomes warm more slowly than un- covered land, and does not cool off so quick ly.
 AS result of the attention paid to forest | culture in Germany and other European countries the artificial forests of those coun- tries rank among the most valuable govern ment property. It is to be hoped that the wisdom and profit of forest culture in the perceived than they are