The Sunday herald. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1866-1887, 1883-02-18
rOPESTS INI MOODS.

nis solemn reflection that the enormous
flood in the Ohio River last week, with the
loss Of life aud property 1t has caused, are
the direct fruit Of the fatal course OF de-
stroyiug the forests which are at once the
source Of steady flow Of water into the
small springs and brooks, and means OF
checking floods hy absorbing rainfall and
retarding the melting of SHOWS Half CEN
tury ago, probably even twenty-five years
ago, such food would have been impossi-
ble Then forest growth covered vast areas
Of table lands and mountain and hill-sides,
among which run the numberless streams
which feed the great rivers These forests,
with their underlying carpets OF MOSES,
dead leaves. and rotten wood, constituted
a sort of enormous sponge, absorbing the
rainfall and giving it oil slowly, thus eNhib-
iting one of the most beautiful economies Of
nature. Vast numbers of swampy places
and countless living springs and streams
then existed where there is now only dry,
hard ground.
The destruction of the forests which
existed within the memory OF men not
vet past middle age has produced a
disastrous effect upon our climate, an
effect SO marked that it is observed by
every man of forty and upwards who spent
any part of his earlier years in the country
The denudation of the forest growths has
proceeded with constantly increasing ra'
pdity, keeping pace with the steady growth
of our population. lthas reached point now
where we see every year going on under oui
eyes the process which has converted many
fertile regions of the Old World into deserts
and forced the races inhabiting them back
wards from civilization toward barbarism
Rains, which formerly eXerted only be
nefccnt effect, are now causes OF disaster
They pour over the bare hill-sides, washing
away the soluble earth, suddenly swollel
rivulets Joining each other, until the brool
which exhibits in summer drouths only be-
of rocks and pebbles becomes roaring tor
rent. and multitude of such torrents pour
ing into the river makes it an uncontrollahl
flood. carrying calamity to every city an
hamlet on its banks
Yet the disasters of which we hear mos
like the damage to railways and wharvf
and to dwellers in the lower levels of cite:
are really less important than the MOI
widely difrused damage of which we hef
nothing. The loss by washing off the arab
part OF the unprotected soil, the greater e.
tension and severity of drouths, the dryir
nd in
the decrease in the productive power of Il
regions adversely affected by the loss of the
forests, are in the aggregate of vastly great
magnitude than the losses which city mt
suffer by floods. 1t is the agricultural inte
est which is immeasurably the greater lose
Unfortunately, it is far easier to percei
the evil than to devise remedy. lndee
there does not appear to be any easy way
even retarding the destruction of the pc
remnant OF our forests. The only remedy
to be found in resort to that much abus
refuge " paternalism." Without State
tervention absolutely nothing can be dor
Exemption of true forest land from all Sta
and municipal taxation ought to be one
the first steps. Rigorous statutes ought a
to be enacted to prevent the kindling OF ii
by railway locomotives, which is by far t
most prolific cause of forest fires. Su
steps will, of course, be wholly inadequ'
to afford any considerable relief, but tn
very agitation may serve to point the ro
to further more important measures. Me'
while. from the point of view of the obser'
of the alienation of floods and drouths
their connection with the decrease of wo
lands, the future of the North American c.
tinent is far from bright.