Daily Republican., 1882-05-24
What we Owe to gh q Trees,

/
Reading very recently in Harper
Monthly Magazine an article entitlei
"What we owe to the Trees" and be
ing impressed with their importance,
it occurred to me to copy a few extracts
from the article and send it to the RE
PUBLICAN, with the view Of cncOurag
ing all to get the april number of the
Magazine and read the whole article.
"The face of the earth in many in
stances has been changed, as the result
of the destruction of the forests from a
condition of fertility and abundance to
that of desert. Asia Minor, "now
hardly anything but desert" an un-
known region almost to us, had once, on
the authority OF Gibbon, five hundred
populous cities. There are parts of Asia
Minor, of Northern Africa, of Greece
and even OF Alpine Europe, says Mr..
Geo. 7. Marsh, where causes set in &C
tion by man have brought the face of
earth to a desOlation as cOMplete as
that of the moon, and yet they are
known to have been once covered with
luxuriant woods, verdant pastures and
fertile meadows, and dense popula-
ton formerly inhabited those lonely
districts. If to this realm of Ge-Olation
we add the now wasted and solitary
sol of Persia and the remoter East,
that once fed their millions with milk
and honey, we shall see that TERRITORY
larger than all Europe, the abund" 4
of which sustained in by gone ce --nre
population scarcely interi' ~"'afies,
tla uyhpla oh ri ian ,Upr II W IUhu OF
ent day, has been en- , < Nt INC pres
from human use or s<<"Ioiy "iCnoraWn
~ cnntribr. .,,i w. poor and urculLivated
'oosoI TO coH'rlp'.De anything to tHe general
kind" 'oi'"' iu'''oS' VI in"h-
HuT uT4boldt is reported as saying
.I6n in all climates seem to bring
u ,,on future generations two CalamiLies
at once-a want of fuel and scarcity
of water"
The island of Santa Cruz was once
heavily timbered and sustained a dense
population, now it is almost destitute
of trees, it has no water and gives no
return to the husband man,
Few persons can have grown to ma.
turity in our own section without hay
ing had occasion TO remark the disaD-
pearance of streams with which in their
childhood days they were familiar. The
pond to the brook W hen they formerly
disported themselves has gone from
sight as have the woods, where they
rambled in search of nuts and game.
Hardly river in OR country runs
with as full a stream as 1T formerly
had. 1t is common fact that our
manufacturers have been compelled to
place steam engines in their factories
as auxiliary to the water power they
have or to supply the lack of it in the
seasons of drought.
Certain it is that Mr. Egleston, from
whom | have quoted exhibits to us that
which is vital in the extreme, a Dues
tion Of life or death one might almost
state it, for if we are going to continue
rObbing ourselves of the woodland it is
only question of time that we render
this fair country of ours unit for us to
reside in. Farmers, owners of land
in general, Il pray you not to be inditier-
ent to the subject, the comfort and han.
piness Of your children hinge upon
what care we bestow in preserving and
increasing tie number of trees upon
our acres. If one fourth Of the whole
land was wooded, the remaining three
tourths would yield more abundantly,
and seldom If ever would nature with
her storms Of wind and hail visit Us
with such violence as has been the case
0f latter years. Be sure and read Mr..
Egleston's article and experience its
awakening effects. Truly yours,
WIN. b. JACKSON,
HOCKEsSIN, DEL.