New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-02-01
SOMETHING ABOUT "DUFF."
ITS IMPORTANT PART IN THE ECONOMY OF
THE FORESTS


"There is a monstrous lot OF ignorance about
forestry in this country" said an old Maine WOODS
man the other day. Many even Of those who want
to see our forests preserved have no intelligent con-
cepton of the part which forests play In the economy
of nature. There Is W. II. H. Murray, for instance
intelligent man who knows good deal about wool
craft and yet he falls into the mistake that forests
can be tlnned out by iudclous cutting Of the Ola
trees without any evil results As matter of fact.
such practice at least in Maine, would destroy the
lumber industry. we'll the forests. for il would
let in the sunlight and that would most eilectually
dry up the duff
"You don't know what duff Isl OF course not
and yet duff Is Of the most wonderful Of Nature
provisions for the storage of moisture. necessary Tor
the trees themselves and for the lumbermcn. or
course YOU know that all tree telling takes place III
winter The trees felled hauled on the ice OF
lakes ponds, rivers and brooks. on the banks
thereof, where they can be easily launched in the
spring From the time when the ice disappears untl
late in June or into July, the lumbcrman is busy on
the drive working his logs to market by water. Every
thing in fact depends on good supply of water Ana
if fails early in the spring before his work is done
his logs hung up for that year. resulting IN a
serious loss to him. Not only. therefore. must the
water be high but it must continue high for many
weeks; and this is where Nature comes in with her
duff
lyon know how quickly the spring freshets subsde
in an open and cultivated country where the sun mas
a chance to melt the ice and snow. Within a few
days may be, the earth dries up and the swollen rivers
and brooks subside to their ordinary summer condition.
But in the prmeval forest il is not Here for gen
Grafton after generation trees have sprouted grown ana
died and each succeeding year the great bulk Of buds
and leaves which have been fed by the sap and the
atmosphere wther and fall TO the ground. In TINS
way in process of time is formed mass often covered
with beautiful moss. sometimes two three fcet deep
known 10 the lnmbermen as dun IL Is simply q
huge sponge which absorbs millions Of gallons OF water
from the fall rains. which is later most checually
sealed up by the frost and is then covered by tho
winter SHOWS If the sunlight should be let In on 1t
by thinning the il would disappear in one season
But If nature is not interered with most wonderful
process takes place
.When the spring thaw occurs the Ice, snow and
frozen moisture in the open country are quickly re
.ased and help to swell The running streams. Nmo
This lasts the lumberman gets more water than h.
needs Int II doesn't last long. Then the dun ap-
pears as his good angel. on the water shed Of the
waters tro1e i % or tire feet c and handrcds Of
sGare miles in extent. saturated 10 the brim with
water And, as the heat increases Dame Mature
nr"cecds yraduallv to squeeze and wiring out this
sponge, not in one day or one week but az through tn
,{sihle compression water slowly from under
every rock leaf and twg, and flows in driblcts u
which are fed from the cultivated fields have fallen
10 their lOw-water mark the streams ied by me
forest duff are flowing full and steady There are no
snows in the woods but the dur which might be
called a mighty lake held I'm solution. keeps up the
hgh-water mark for many weeks thus enabling the
ZIMMERMAN TO get his LOGS TO market and IN other way
serving the highest Interests Of man. For what cqui
we do without rivers aside from IN" lumber question
And how are we going have rivers If we allow
Natures reservoir. known dun, t. DE destroyed
There i, good deal Of interest in forest prcsefva
lion NOWADAYS and ! am glad 70 sea j.. Bat would
like 10 see 1t expressed in concrete form by IN" or
ganization of society for the Defence OF Dun
That would get people from vague ccueratcs down
to actual facts. What Is dur would be the hlrt
0cst on the members. and in getting the answer n
that question they would in possession OF heap
Of knowledge about forestry that would very much m
than