The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1894-01-11
TnE WEATHER.
NAIUKALREsERvoIR-.

NATURAL RESERVOIR.
The late report OF Prof. Pompelly, OF
the L. S Geological Survey, stating
there is not water enough IN tho arid
states TO irrigate the nrable lands, IL the
most disastrous blow that ever fell urou
the six great commemorative which lie
along the main range Of the Rocky
mountains Montana is perhaps in The
best condition Of any OF the six, or was
go thirty years ago when the miners and
merchants and carpenters and lumber
men and prospecIors came 10 open our
mines and build our cities.
These men with an unanimity scarcely
equaled m any enterprise united to De
stroy our thon scanty forests. The new
corners Of every class cut the ue's to
build their houses, the lumbeTman with
his saw mill came and slaughtered all
the best trees in the best forests; and
nos content with Telling the large trees,
he generally destroyed the ten young
ones which we're growing up 10 take the
place Of ev0ry large one killed. The
torch was applied to clear away the
brush and the underbrush, which often
swept like a betom Of destruction over
thousands OF acres beyond the domain
Of the miner and tie reach Of the wood
mans axe.
Not content with these modes Of wan
ton destruction, prospectors and hun-
ters suffered their camp fires TO escape
into the forests and burn for an indeh-
mite period. These careless fires have
ben more or less numerous and extern
sive and destructive every year since
tho early sixties. They usually begin
as soon as the fallen leaves get dry,
usually in August and continue into the
winter, or until some heavy rain or snow
stops their ravages The smoke which
fills our atmosphere and obscures the
views Of our glorious mountains during
the late summer ard autumn, comes
from these disastrous fires. In some
years millions OF acres are thus burned
over. 1t is scarcely possible to cross our
Rocky mountains anywhere between
British Columbia and Wyoming with
out seeing more or less OF these burnt
areas. Usually there axe s)me dead
pines standing, while the most Of them
have fallen 20 the ground; and the
fallen trees are often hidden by growth
Of young pines coming up 10 take the
place OF their cremated ancestors.
Thus nature often restores what man
has wautonly destroyed. But IN this
case nature is too slow for the present
generation; what man destroyed in a
day nature may partly restore in a hun
dred years. The pole pine and the
Douglas FIR will make good forests in
much less than a hundred years; but il
will take many centuries 20 restore for
ests Of our more valuable yellow Pine
and timber twig pine.
But what Of il? These pines produce the
inuumerable myriads Of leaves whose
electric points attract every passing
cloud Of rain and hail and snow, whose
waters fill the mountain torrents and
form two Of the largest rivers Of the
coniiaent. That is one thing these pine
leaves d for irrigation.
Some may imagine this discovery OF
modern times, but il is taught by a
Chinese proverb as old az Confuous,
"The largest rivers are Graded in the
leaves Of the mountain pines"
But this proverb means something
moro than that the leaves Of the pines
cause the clouds 10 discharge their
stores Of rain. hail and snow. II means
that the pine leaves form reservoirs 10
hold the surplus waters OF the spring
months and discharge them slowly 10
keep up our springs and streams and
supply the suffering animals and thirst
ing plants through the dry season. Some
Of us have walked over these reservoirs
without knowing what made the places
so cool and refreshing. We have picked
the ferns and MOSES which strike their
roots in these waters.
Pines belong 10 the class Of perennial
plants; still they shed portion Of their
leaves every year. These leaves form a
mulch, which retains the moisture
needed for the growth OF ferns and
lichens, which soon, with the constantly
falling leaves, make reservoir whose
waters drain of gradually in the dry
season, TO be filed again by the storms
Of winter and tho melting SHOWS Of
spring. The older and denser the for.
esis, the deeper these reservoirs become
Hence d new forest, though il has az
many leaves 90 attract the rain, is not
so teviceable in furnishing water as the
old one. with It's deep reservoirs OF
leaves, lichens and ferns.
We are now prepared 90 understand
that the consumption Of the trees is no;
al the damage done by our forest fires
While the trees are burning the sur
fIcss of these aceumulations OF leave.
and nlnnia dry and falra nrn The,