Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1889-08-22


Arbor Day.
A Peru (NsU.) correspondent of the
Kansas Farmer, writes. "The forest area
OF Nebraska is very small: probably not
over 2 per cent Of the entire surface OF the
state IL covered by natural foreets. Tree
culture has been ENCOURAGED by the state
since 1876, when Arbor Day was made
legal holiday. Since that time millions of
trees have been planted. These trees, with
the cultivated land, have been ths direct
cause OF the increase Of rainfall of the state.
This rainfall has been steadily increasing
for the last 10 years. What was once u
barren waste and totally unfit for farming
IL now the best agricultural section OF the
state. Timber increases the amount of
moisture In country by preventing radla-
ton OF heat, by shading the ground and re-
taining the moisture longer. and by keeping
the atmosphere cooler, thus producing
condensation and rainfall"
What such a change means as has been
thus gradually wrought on the plains of
Nebraska can hardly be appreciated even
by those who have lived there and seen
it brought about; perhaps less wildly
than by men who only knew
those plains before the spirit of
improvement touched them-when
they were unsurveysd and unvalued
government land from which the buffalo
had not disappeared and where the
coyote, the antelope and the degenerate
Pawnee still fingered. And this was not
80 long ago; it was the still existing CON
dition in 1866, when the only white in.
habitants, with very few exceptions, OF
tina infarior ~ xvbat mos than Nabrauha
Territory, were the ranchmen of the val
Icy OF the Platte, whose homes, COM
pound of primitive hotel, dwelling, store
and saloon, built generally of sod and
with the bare earth for door, were
located at intervals OF from fys to ten
miles along the southern shore of that
broad, shallow and quioksand- bottomsd
river; when the 'prairie schooner" had
not yet made way for the railway train
when those who claimed to know asserted
stoutly that there was not tree within
100 miles in any direction of the stage
station and the small cluster of adobe
buildings known as Julesburg, where fire.
wood was quoted at $l05 cord in
midwiuter; when over the arid plains
in every direction ran Indian and buffalo
trails where the scanty but succulent
'sedge-grsss, trodden down five, ten or
twenty years before, had Lacked vitality
to grow again, and when, even no farther
west than Fort Kearney, rain fell but
once, and then feebly and but for few
minutes, between November and April.
That such region should have
been converted by timber planting
into productive agricultural country
is almost enough to cause one to
entertain thoughts Of the possibility of
the reclamation Of Sahara. lore practi-
cable aud pertinent, however. is the les
son it teaches the farmers OF Delaware
not this year, while through causes
clearly not local they are getting more
rain than they want, but some other ysar
to guard against the seasons of drouth
which will certainly follow deforestation
at home. Other states around us have
their 'arbor day";would it not be wise in
Delaware to follow their example? Would
| ~ Ao1 10 MoAA Aoh the AhuuoWhoEh III bSla-
ware-and the abnormal humidity OF this
summer is no argument to tine contrary
to commence an organized movement to
restore the timber to our own soil? A few
acres on each farm planted now in trees
that will grow in valus--sRch for example
as the walnut, hickory and white oak
will prove rich inheritance to their
children and grandchildren.