St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1883-12-21


forests has been allowed to go on
simply because there is no popular APP
prehension or knowledge of the results.
Aside from a few musty statutes and
little tree planting here and there by
village decorative societies, mainly in
New England and New York, together
with the tree-culture required under IA
law of Congress permitting the taking
up of new land, no organized efforts
have been made to prevent the unrob-
ing of our mountains. After many
articles and lectures on the danger to
the great water supplies resulting from
the destruction of forests, it is encOur-
aging to know that the New York
chamber of commerce is to take the
matter up, and proposes to save if pos
sible the Adirondack woods. The
southern portion of this wilderness
feeds the Hudson, the Mohawk and
the Black rivers, as well as the Erie
canal. SO long as the mountains are
wooded the lack of abundant supply
Of water need not he feared. The
forests are like a national reservoir,
tending to check foundations i'll rainy
seasons, and yielding of its supply
when it is most needed. The natural
er-shed of these rivers is small,
and should the Adirondack mountain
region become cleared the results
would be serious to commerce and to
agriculture.
This vast and naturally rich section
has been long bidding for capital of
railroad men some lines have already
been built and others are projected,
81, L.. Il
private owners are beginning to run
| logs to market. The heart of the
Adirondacks is till untouched, and the
chamber of commerce i'll its memorial
to the Legislature proposes that the
state of New York "shall acquire the
whole territory popularity known as
! the Adirondack wilderness and hold
! it forever as a forest preserve"
! The executive committee having
charge of the matter believes that
the state could seize 100000 by
right of eminent domain. This would
make il section larger than Connecticut
and nearly twice as large us the Vel
| lowstOne national park and comprising
about One-seventh of the area of the
state of New York. Although the
work of forest destruction has hardly
begun the injurious effects can be seen
in the decrease of the water supply.
| Many of the smaller streams are dry
during the summer months, so that
the Hudson above Troy is now often liz
dry seasons made almost unnavigable.
The Mohawk has also suffered to some
extent. This decline in the volume of
river water has an Importance broader
even than commercial Inconvenience.
For some wears the doctors have been
called to explain the prevalence OF
malaria on the banks of the Hudson.
This mysterious disease usually fol-
lows the lowering of water i'll ponds
and rivers. The right of eminent do
main will have il severe test if this vast
wilderness of northern New York Is
seized, and the success of the under
taking will depend much upon an in
tclligent public sentiment and general
realization of the dangers of the whole
sale telling of forest trees.
There are many reasons why the
public is apathetic on this question, not
the least of which is that the councils
of the wise are divided as to the inn
mediate danger. Commissioner George
b. LOring, in his recent address before
the American forestry congress III ses-
sion at st. Paul, while admitting the
rain producing influence of forests anC
showing how the Venetian ship-build-
ers had turned the luXuriant kars
region of southern Austria into an I'M
watered landscape, still undertook t,
impress it on the public that there
may he danger of assuming too hastil!
Il prospective timber famine. IL,
SAYS: "Denude any portion of thi
forest surface and trees spring NJ
spontaneously and grow rapidly
There are millions of acres of youn!
forests in the south in which the corr
hills are almost as prominent us wheI
the waving corn occupied the surface
Nature abhOrs vacuum of brow
sedge, the first growth of abandoned
fields, and speedily replaces it with
forest of pines" This Optimist view
of the case is echoed by lesser lights
and does Il deal of mischief. DIR. Lor
ing himself admits that the southern
forests are now being thought of as
source of timber supply. Why so
the northern mountains are ineXhauSt
IDLY clad9 A local paper in the Con
necticut valley has been recently say
ing that the popular theory of Il di
miniShing volume of water in the Con
necticut river resulting from the de
struction of the forest is il
visionary" The opinion of Prof. Sar
gent of Harvard college, whose atten
ton has been called to this statement
l is that an American forest is doOme,
us soon as active numbering operation
begin within its borders, since the de
bris acts us kindling wood to sprea
; destructive fires which destroy all tn
Seeding trees. This danger is so wei
i understood, he says, that it has he
= come the usual custom i'll nOrther
New Hampshire and Vermont to max
: IA clean sweep of any tract from whic
i the saw-lOgs have been culled and t
manufacture charcoal from the tree
, too small for the mill. In this wa
great tracts of mountain side are lai
bare yearly about the head waters q
: the Connecticut. Three great states
where agriculture is wealth, and wher
the great river is a wheel-horse to tn
; mills, are vitality concerned with thi
question. The northern woodlands IL
opens and drains the storage ground
for the water supply of great valley
dries up the small streams and pilfer
the profits of the farmer. The Con
necticut, like the Hudson, is being, 5
to speak, knocked in the head. Tn
Z volume in our river has never been 5
= small before in the opinion of goo
judges. The evil is the work of season.
but the remedy will demand the slo,
REPAYMENT of decades Springfield
Republican.
l Horrible Treatment Of Political
/ Prisoners.