Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser., 1883-12-21
Waste of Timber and Its Consequences.

Waste of Timber and Its Consequences
The Times has occasionally hehetofore
called attention to the srea importance OF
the conservation of our Mary and forests,
and the great detriment to the material,
climatic and sanitary interests of tie State
which would probably result frnm thelL
depletion of their supply of tlmte". ut
has always seemed 20 us AS espec7arly i'm
provident and unwise in our land Owners
to sell off their fine and yrowingf young
oak timber for railroad ties, whicblkas1k
recent years been SO extensively practiceV
in this county. For The interest and in
struction of such of our people as may be
open TO conviction upon this point, and
may be judicious aud public spirited G.
nough to torego present temporary pc
cuniary gain for future enhancement OF
the value of their property and improve
ment of the general material and sanitary
nteres's of their section, we commend tie
following wei considered article wAiAl
wecllp from recent issue of the Ba tmore
Sun:
The acquaintance of the people of the
United States with the sources of their
natural wealth as regards the cereals aud
cotton, the mines the fisheries, End Dther
products of our soil and coast Is very ~
eral. But when We speak of the vas i'm
portance of the timber supply and the
necessity of its conservation, there is a
great deal of ignorance both as % the
limit OF thai supply and the rapidity with
which it is being destroyed An estlm2te.
based on the statis les ot the last two cen
suses, puts the value of he timber Gu
every year IN the United States at over
eight hundred mil ion do lars. To surfA,
Il demand represented by this enormous
sum there must of necessity he dies rue
| tiOn of the best trees ly ing within sson-
| able distance bv water or rail of 4 market.
We find this To be the case 10 1870 the
tota area of the supp'y Of merchant
timber was put by the census at $50
900 acres More than a third If this prf
baby one half, has been cut over IN h
/ wears that have since elapsed. Att
sent time tn, cut is over $4,000, 900 ~
annually. Under such circumstances tAerc
can be no reasonable doubt that heire
long there will lie dearth Of wood FIR
AL manufacturing purposes. Even irfwe
can then draw for a Tine from Canada, II
| is known that her woods are also ia pro.
cess of extinction, and that measures are
now being taken to enicavnr to preserve
I Al ,la a =.
thur drew attention To his subject in 4 is
message. His estimate is that IN w pity
years the supply Of timber will fall he "
our actual necessities" Il is a matter slso
which has become a topic of discuss nn
lin many Of our most prominent and
thoughtful newspapers. From all p"ints.
north. west and south. from personal oh
servation and locsl statistics, the one con
clusion is that wood products are increas
ing in scarcity and price. and that. some
remedy is necessary for the preservation
and perpetuation nf American forests -
We have already given in The Sga sarne
facts in relation to The woodlands Of Ma
ryland. and 10 the failure Of b
supply in consequence of the
down ni her now limi'ed extent Of
growth. The Philadelphia Prra I'm
plains of similar shrinkage of the sire ~ :
in that State iram the same cause. The
Delaware. tn, Schuylkill, the Alicgh-ny
and the Monnngahela, wear hy gear. saws
he Press diminish in va ume their
spring floods grow more destructive and
their summer shadows are covered With
less water. as the tire ches Of spnngy wenj'
land which hold the SHOWS Of winter and
attract the showers of warmer months
| disappear beneath the axe" IL there
has become a serious M t,,er, not oal
10 tbe ~sI,...- - 80 --..-S-.~s.~- -
tlm Ter cut. ers, y---alnne would lie {,
inca'culahle injury. both in regard to iis
effect on our climate and the fu'ure c"si
af wood product, but also as affecting
our water supply and 'hc navigation 81
our great rivers In New York they ARE
even now clamoring f'r The preservation
of the Adirondack region. covering four
mi lion of acres of fores' and now In
vaded by the lumber men. who are throw.
ing open 70 the sun and dis ncs'in winds
the sources Of the Hudson river. and las
ering the waters OF the grea. Erie and
other canals Many OF the climatic. changes
which are the great draw backs Of
the far West may reasonably bc
10 become more frequent and severe than
they are even now when he heavy wind
hre.ks interpnscd by tie timber IN The
mountains and the enormous reservoirs
of nois' ure which they now farm nn long
er exist. Fnrewarnings of such an IN
crease Of cyclones, wIh grea'er destruc
tion Of lie and property, are given in
some Of the Western papers as certain. ia
eusue If the destruction OF he forests il
allowed to go on in the present reckles.
manner. The question oi forestry in the
. Unired States cannot be dealt with 10,
quickly. The preservation of the forest:
on tie public domain has hecorle \ mat
ter of the first importance. If measures
looking In the care of those that yet be
long to US, and 10 the judicious Treatment
at smaller bodies Of timber are delayed
100 long the mischief will be done. and
when done will be irreparable. The South
ern pine forests are now attacked SIXTY
thousand acres OF this valuable wood were
purchased there the other day 10 he de
voted to the same slaughter that has strip
ped of their best timber the woods &"
Maine and Michigan, and is pursuing the
work nt destruction on the Pacific coast
NOTES.
Joe Newton, a prisoner in the New Castle