The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1888-08-09
ABOUT FORESTRY.
IT'S PROGRESS M TREELESS STATE
OF THE WEST.

by the Lumber Men-The Annual Rain
| EslI-Forestry In the State of New York
| Objects.
In writing on forestry Gen. James s.
| Brisbin, U. s. A.. not only presents the
| general features of his theme. but de-
scribes the peculiarities and uses OF each
American tree While 5000, 900 trees are
cut in this country every year only 1000
900 are planted. To reproduce the for
ests that nave been cnt away would take
| forty generations. Of course no one de
sires to turn the country into wilder
| ness again, but there is danger line In
forest destruction that has already been
passed il many localities in America as
| in whole regions, now the scene of desc.
lation, in Europe.
| When Gen. Brisbin turned forester the
subject had made no public impression.
Few journals could be induced to give
him a hearing. One of the first to aid
| him with his pen was William Cullen
Bryant. The progress that has been
| made is not insignificant. Nebraska,
once called the treeless state. Is covered
| with young forests, and will soon be as
| we'll timbered as an eastern state. For
| several years past from l5,OOo,OOO to
| 90, 200 coo trees have been set annually
| IN that state It's arbor day is an ANNUAL
holiday. The governor of Nebraska offers
| a large reward each year to the family
that will set out the greatest number OF
| forest trees when | Was there" the
general writes, lit was $500 for the first
| premium, $400 for the second, and so on
| down to sos Even the women and chill
| dren couid earn premiums medals and
| diplomas, and great was the competition
| for these rewards of the state. Patches
| of timber have sprung mp everywhere,
| and where few years ago only the naked
| plain was seen, now waves a gooGiy for
est" Trees 10 and II years old arc 10
| feet high and to 10 inches in diameter.
Forest trees well cared for grow with
| great rapidity in the west Sage brush
land when irrigated will produce from
twenty five to fifty bushels oil wheat per
acre. The general gives many instances
of the remarkably rapid growth of young
| forests planted in Nebraska. He has no
doubt that all the plains between the
Missouri river and the Rocky mountains
| can be covered with trees if the friends
of forestry perseverc.
Speaking of the destruction Of the for
ests, Gen Brisbin says that one firm alone
| in western state runs 200 saws. In
Wisconsin lumber amounting in quantity
| to | ,030, 600, 0G0 feet was cut in q single
year At the present rate, ten or, at the
| most. twenty years vii! make an end OF
| the forests i'll Michigan, Minnesota and
WincoDsin. 1t requires 10000 acres Of
Wisconsin timber to supply the Kansas
and Nebraska markets alone. New York
has lost her walnut, maple and hickory,
! and has no forests left except IL the
| Adirondack
The island CT Santa Cruz, III the West
| Indies, which twenty-five or thirty years
| ago was garden, is now almost desert
| in consequence OF cutting away the forests.
Owing to tic same cause many Of our
| American rivers have lost half their use
| fulness. The Connecticut is hardly nayi
| gable, and the kcnnebec and Merrimac
| have shrnuk one-fourth The Potomac
| has lost necrly one-fourth of its volume,
| and The Hudson has declined one sixth.
| The rccc,it almost instantaneous and very
| destryciiV1 July flood in the MOnOngaLela
| river Is calculated to make the people Of
the Ohio valley thoughtful OH the subject
of disappearing forests. The loss OF
millions and the sweeping away of hun
dreds Of comfortable homes and industrial
improvements as the result of single
hard rain is q heavy tax to pay for neglect
| to prevent the waste Of trees.
New i orl. has taken hold of the forestry
question with considerable earnestness.
Over go fire warden5 have been appointed
throughout the state 10 prevent forest
fires. The New York forest commission
has twenty-five foresters in its employ,
located in the eleven northern counties.
Trespassers have been compelled to re-
| imburse the state Oh account Of timber
taken Timber thieving and the spolia-
ton of forests have been stopped The
York forest commission was appointed to
preserve the forests for the following OBJ
jects:
First-For the value of the timber, both
present and future.
Second-For the value Of forests as
sanitariums-health resorts for invalids.
summer breathing places for all.
Third-For the conservation of the
sources of water supply Both science
and observation agree that forests are
the great reservoirs that hoard the rain
fall to feed brooks and rivers. The
streams of Europe have shrunk as the
forests have been cut away. Our own
streams are following on in the same
track.
Fourth-For the increase of rainfall.
Cautious scientific men arc not yet ready
to assert that forests increase the rain
fall, but the theory has many supporters
and the belief is fast growing that forests
orc such an important factor in supplying
moisture that it is q most dangerous pol
Icy to strip the country of its trees.
Fifth-For the climatic and sanitary
influence of forests. There can be little
doubt that forests are great equalizers OF
temperature, render the surrounding
country less liable to violent winds, alb
sorb malarial and noxious vapors, and act
In many ways benefcially to human
health.
A remarkable illustration of the fact
that the clearing of billy countries Is
| likely to result in the complete failing OF
springs is given by Mr.. Ney, who states
that In Provence, France, after all the
olive forests, which had been frozen.
were cut down, great number of springs
failed totally. In tho city OF Orleans,
after the surrounding heights had been
xL,,, oIaorad paarlv oil tho wells dried