The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1882-12-15
Forests and Climate.

A paper has been prepared by DR..
Schomburgh, the Director of the Botani
cal Gardens at Adelaide, on the iniiu
ence of forests on climate. The object
of the author is to prove that the de-
struction of forests usually has the effect
of reducing the rainfall, while, on the
contrary, the planting of trees broadcast
over the country is one of the best
methods which can be adopted for
ameliorating its climate and increasing
the annual fall of rain. 1t cannot, in
deed, be proved that the climate of South
Australia is altering for the worse in
this respect. In fact. comparison of
the meteorological records will show
that the annual average rainfall for the
colony during the past ten years has
been p. | inches, as compared with 20.
inches for the previous ten years. The
fact is, that the agricultural districts of
the colony, and especially in those which
were not originally timbered, the bring
ing of the land into cultivation has had
the effect of slightly favOring the fall OF
rain. Plowed land attracts moisture TO
much greater degree than the I'M
broken soil. In considering the effect
which the reno val of forests per Sc has
in altering the climate in South Austria
liza, the only direct test that could be
taken from the records issued by the
Government Astronomer is the expert
ence of the neighborhood of Adelaids.
If the time is divided which has elapsed
since 1889, the year in which ohServa-
tons were commenced, into two periods,
=, 60 he
rainfall of 22.S inches, and for the
second one of 21.7 inches. 1t will thus
be seen that, on the whole, the rainfall
at Adelaide is diminishing, though very
slightly, and perhaps the diminution ia
the amount of timber may have
something to do with the change.
DR.. Schomburgh, IN searching for
illustrations OF the effect of trees
on climate, goes further afield, and
brings forward some striking instances
in which it is evident that loss OF forests
means loss of rain fall, and Uics verSa.
He recalls how the Russians. by burning
at the time of the struggle with the Cir
cassians, converted the country from a
fertile land into desert, simply through
the cutting off of the supply of rain.
Similar instances of rain having de-
serted country denuded of forests have
occurred in the Mauritius. in Jamaica.
the Azores, and, it may also be added,
to still more remarkable extent in sew.
eral of the smaller. West India islands
No sooner had the forests of these places
been destroyed than the springs and
rivuletS ceased to flow, the rainfall be-
ca ne irregular, and even the deposition
of dew was almost entirely checked. On
the other hand, it is generally accepted
as fact that Mehemet Ali increased the
fertility of Egypt enormously by plant
ing trees. He alone planted some TO-
100000 on the Delta; his successors fol-
lowed up the work. and it is a note
worthy circumstance that the rainfall
rose from six inches to forty inches.
Planting has also, it would seem, pro-
duced remarkable effects in France and
Algiers. Extensive regions have been
planted with gums and other trees,
which. for the most part, grew to about
thirty feet or forty feet in height. and it
is noticed that the quantities of rain and |
dew which now fall on the adjacent land |
are double what they formerly were
Architect.