Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1885-11-25
AMERICAN FORESTRY.


AMERICAN FORESTRY.
At the recent American Forestry
Congress in Boston, President Warren
Higley, of N. Y, made an address: He
said the movement for the restoration
of our forests as touching the agricu)-
tural, commercial and climatic inf1u-
ences was of vast Importance.
China, with the timber culture sys-
tenn of Prussia, would have escaped her
horrible famines. The streams of GEN.
trail New York, with their freshets in
spring and fall and dry basins in sum-
mer are typical examples of the results
of the desolation of forests. 1t is not
difficult for men who know the effects
OF cutting the timber from small areas
around the head waters of the smaller
streams to understand why summer
navigation in the Mississippi, the Mis-
| souri, and the Ohio has become difficult
and at times impossible, where it was
easy and constant few years ago; or
| why the Hudson and the Connecticut
are much lower in summer and higher
in spring than in former years. The
partial decreasing of the Adirondack
region has materially affected the flow
OF the Hudson. the Mohawk, the Black
and other rivers, and sufficiently demon
strated the fact that were this great
watershed of New York stripped Of it's
forest covering, the Empire State would
be reduced to desert and New York
City to provincial town. Careful
measurements taken on the Schuylkill
show that the cutting away of the for
ests has reduced the daily flow from
500, DOC, 900 gallons to half that quantity.
The parched Alps of Provence present
another terrible example. 1t is from
such data that we are Justified in con-
Guiding:
That the forest areas exercise posi-
tive climatic influence upon the sur
rounding country. They modify the
extremes of heat and cold, and render
the temperature more equable through
out the year.
That the decreasing of large areas
of billy and mountainous country affects
to very large extent the quantity of
water that comes from springs and
flows in rivers. The more apparent is
this when the decreasing occurs on the
head waters of important streams.
Then the water power is destroyed or
greatly impaired, navigation impeded,
commerce interfered with, and droughts
and floods are more frequent and more
severe.
That the interests of agriculture and
horticulture are greatly subserved by
the proper distribution of forest areas,
through their climatic and hvdrogra-
phic influence.
That country embracing within its
borders the head waters of all the
streams and rivers that interlace it.
when stripped of it's forest covering,
becomes a barren waste, incapable of
supporting man or beast.
Forestry IN the East is managed
mostly from an aesthetic standpoint.
Until settlements were pushed out into
the treeless plains of the West the ne
cessity for forestry products on the
farm had hardly been realized in this
country, but then through the want of
them their full valne and countless
blessings became apparent to the Kan
sas and Nebraska emigrant, and the
jewellers on the prairies of the West.
They soon found it profitable to plant
and care for the trees. Twenty five
years ago cord-wood sold in some of
the towns of Kansas and Nebraska for
81, So, and sometimes $40 a cord,
where it can now be purchased for
from So to 81 per cord, and that, too,
with a population many times greater
The financial success of forest culture
as business must depend upon the
cost of the land, the adaptability of
the trees to the soil and climate and the
marketable value of the wood of tim
Der when grown. Forestry has proved
remunerative in Europe, where it has
been under government patronage and
protection for $50 years. Russia from
her 100000 acres of State forests.
receives an annual net income of about
100000. Saxony, from her 100000
acres of forest lands, receives an annual
net income of about 81, 100000. Bava-
ria, from her 100000 acres, receives
annually, after paying all expenses,
net profit of about $4,50O,OOO. The
forests of Alsace-Lorraine cover IS per
cent of the whole territory. The gov
eminent has netted 1872 an acre from
it's 5000 acres the last ten years, plac-
ing every piece of woodland under the
control of forestry commission. A
large proportion of these lands, and
especially in Prussia, have been re-
claimed from almost barren wastes, or
are naturally of little value for agricul-
tural purposes. Their administration
furnishes employment to many thou
sands, and yields to the government
large annual income. Thus should
forests be grown and protected here.
1t requires but little expense or trouble
There is hardly farm in New England
of one hundred acres that would not
be greatly augmented in value by de-
voting this proportion to the cultiva-
ton and maintenance of woodland, and
the same may be safely affirmed of
every other portion of the country.
When they come to realize this fact
they will no longer look upon the wood
lot as of little comparative value. ready
to cut on the first demand, but will
place just estimate upon its worth
and will discern it's influence on the
rest of the farm in protecting from
destructive winds, in holding moisture
against the drought of summer, in mod
flying the extremes of heat and cold, in
rendering the fruit crop surer,in being
to certain extent the conservator of
health, while it yields abundantly of
its product for the farm. Forest fires,
browsing cattle and the demand for
railroad lies are three leading things
that help decrease our forests. The