Daily Yellowstone journal., 1888-12-22
Saturday, December %, 1888.
FORESTRY.


ton on the subject Of American fores-
try, says the Washington Gazette, that
would properly awake the attention of
the American people to the import
ance OF this matter. Congress can do
a great deal here. 1t has control over
the territories and its recommends
lions TO the different states would
have great effect. 1t might properly
recommend an amendment TO the
constitution giving congress the power
to control the forests of the states, or II
such Il measure is deemed too central.
izing, it might issue a report addressed
to the legislatures and the people Of
the various states, requesting them to
consider this subject and to promptly
devise measures calculated to preserve
the forests now standing ana increase
their area and their value.
Sucu a course We submit in AL ear
nestress would be more sta,esmanlike
thar discussing prohibition, or bills
apTFOpristing money for the extension
OF he public schools. 1t is the physi-
ca environment that has much to do
with morals. When the Ssricens
came westward they carried prohibit
ion in one hand and Il chopping x
in the other, and where the Moham-
medsns succeeded both forests and
taverns disappeared. Northern Africa
was made a treeless waste and thus
from being The garden spot OF the Med.
iterrsnesn shores became little more
than a sandy fringe of the Sahara
Spain, once a densely wooded country,
supporting with ease 10000, 900 Of peo-
pie in the time of the Roman Empire,
was invaded by the Sarscen, who cut
down trees, uprooted wine saloons and
decimated the population all at the
same time. He abolished saloons, but
also made his home = d sert. The
mischi 4 of the curse was that when
his pswer was broken the saloon was
revived, but, unfortunately, the forests
were not, or could not, be replanted.
Thus, the original prohibitionists ac-
complished nothing but ruin. Had
they preserved thei, forests. perhaps it
would have been just Al well to destroy
their ssloons-but their work ia this
respect did not last, while il did so In
the former.
A genial climate and a fertile soil
will sustain q large population, who
under q good government may be con
fidsntly looked TO for moral and edu-
cationsl efforts. But n sterile soil and
an inhospitable climste-ths sure con-
sequences Of decreasing a lsnd-will
support but q scanty population and
they with other desires than . holy
horror Of run aud iIliteracy. The
Spaniard Of the Sierras and plateaus
Of Europe's south western peninsula liz
as fond Of bottle M he il sverse from
a book, and devotes more time tp a
sweetheart than to a schoolmaster.
The philosopher, Of course, can trace
the connection between morals aud
forests. and would add his counsel In
favor Of dropping prohibition 10 This
country until forestry wa attended to.
IL is certainly u matter OF great mo-
ment TO the country, and il IL a it'll.
remarkable considering our proyerbisD
shrewdness as a people, maj We have
done nothing TO preserve our forests
while with most European nations for
a century past it has 0een Au import.
ant work.
DR.. +. Jarchow, OF New York, a
member of the Academy Of Science 10
that state, discoursed the other night
before q meeting Of that body in u
manner calculated TO awake attention
to the subject forclbly. He said that
The report issued by the German gov
eminent about the success OF scientific
forestry in Brunswick showed that in
a recent year the expense of managing
an acre of woodland there was about
81. while the returns from the same
were about s.. As this profit was now
probably greater and might very pos
cibly reach 81 an acre, there was pref
ty good proof that forestry paid, espec-
tally as the woodlands are generally
unfit for agriculture. In this country
tho forests could be managed TO pay
the same profit TO each state, while no
diminution Of the lumber industry
would be had. OF course, the indis.
sriminate waste would be stopped and
with IL the deterioration OF the land
already cleared. but all industries de-
pendent upon forest products would
continue. The subject should engage
the early attention Of congress.