Daily Los Angeles herald., 1884-06-12
sl.rlmlnr con- AsrxAY.
A Well Known Writer on the Track
"A FslIacy Corrected.


In the last number Of the Rural Press,
Mrs Jeanne G. Carr calls attention to
the idea that the clearing away of the
chapparal tends to destruction from
heavy rainfalls by the washing away Of
the land by highland streams. The
theory is very plausible but the real
facts are directly opposite. SO far from
the clearing away of the chapparal be-
ing the cause Of the washing away of the
land the result is totally the reverse.
When chapparal is grubbed out of the
earth every hole that is made by the re.
moval Of the roots becomes q sinking
spot for the rainfall and. like a gopher
hole, is hard to fill. Further, as this
chapparal land Is the best in the State,
as soon as it Is cleared Of brush II
is plowed and planted with trees, vines,
grain or other crops, and the sol, opened
by the pillow, absorbs the rain and pre-.
vents the destruction by foods. The
brush land when cleared and cultivated,
as it often is, with peas, beans, corn,
melons, tomatoes, potatoes and other root
crops. Is constantly watched and the
tendency to waste and damage by wash.
outs ID entirely averted. Where q wild
sumac tree, or an oak or clump Of
greasewood grew in former times fruit
tree, or vine or garden now grows.
There is no making Of deserts, as the
fair and talented writer would indicate
in the following paragraph:
The rocks are washed too clean for
the creeping feet OF the polypodes; there
arc few bee pastures left, aud the bees
make reprisals upon the raisin makers
Wild sage and sumac h we been utterly
exterminated over thousands Of acres
which border the San Gabriel valley.
And 50 We have premonition of the
judgments awaiting the generation
whose fathers wantonly destroy the
equilibrium Of nature.
Such statements should not be sent
abroad without an explanation, which
will be plain. contradiction Of all the
malign effects indicated in the article.
1t is true that oaks and sumacs and
brush have been steadily removed from
the face Of the earth. but for every oak
and sumac removed there have been ten
fruit trees planted, and for every clump
Of brush destroyed grapevine has been
put in its place, SO that the planting Of
trees and shrubs and vines and gardens
has compensated for the removal of the
wild trees aud brush, and so the "equi.
librium of nature" has been preserved,
and more too.
The San Gabriel valley, which has
been singled out as a sample Of the de-
struction that has been visited upon the
country, has now one million more trees
growing ON its soil than it had ten years
ago. The country is marching forward.
not backward. There is no disturbance
Of ''the equilibrium of nature" The
talented author Of the article in the
Rural Press has herself planted %, 200
trees and vines where none ever grew
before. She has overdone the equilibri.
um business, and so have all her neigh.
bors. The same example is all over the
county. We are not denuding the coun-
try, but are covering it with forest and
fruit tree growths. The number of trees
and vines planted in Los Angeles county
counts into the millions every year. We
do not cut off the trees and shrubs for
fun. but only because it will pay better
to change them for = better vegetable
growth. The people Of this part of the
State are not Tartars. who planted no
trees or flowers but moved with Aocks
and herds and left NO tree behind.
Southern Californians are tree planting
people. They plant ten times as many
as they destroy. They may cut down q
willow. an alder, sycamore or . cotton.
wood in the canons to cook their food,
but q half Dozen robust sprouts will
soon replace the parent tree and more
than compensate for the loss Of their pro-
genitor.
The polypodes had their use bat that
use has passed away. The squirrel and
gopher had their use in boring the land
full of holes and chambers like the fash.
ion of sponge, 10 retain all the rainfall.
but the plow does away with the need
Of the gopher and squirrel.
The tendency of such articles in this
section is only evil. They are out of
place. They might do in Michigan.
Wisconsin. or in Oregon, or in Hum
boldt or Mendocino counties in this
State. but here in Los Angeles, where
the planting Of trees, vines. shrubs and
vegetables is an enthusiastic mania
among the people, such articles are
worse than useless.
In justice to the talented author Of
the article in the Rurat Press, it il only
the fact to state that it is the only one
which the writer ever had occasion to
criticise among all her numerous and
able productions.