The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1899-09-26


plant life find their nutriment Strip
hill OF its timber, and the rain runs
swiftly down, causing freshet in the
river at its foot, because there is moth
ing to stay it. Worse still, it carries
more or less soil with it, so that in
little time the hill is barred of it's rocky
frame. The mischief is that it re
quires years and years to repair a
damage that party of woodmen can
in aict in a day.
The domes of granite one sees in the
Adirondacks and on Mount Desert
show how diff cult it is to persuade
vegetation back again when rocks are
bare OF mould for roothold. In other
places, that have been reforested.
through natural increase in the woods
and consideration on the part Of the
lumbermen, the water has not come
back with the trees. The mould that
held the springs has been dried and
washed away, and centuries must pass
before new sponge is created by the
slow deposit of aged trunks and fallen
leaves.
This cutting is deplorable, It i'm
plies not merely the destruction of
beauty, which is cause enough for
lamentation, but hardship, especially
in the country districts; it implies
lessening number of birds, our bright,
tuneful, useful little friends, because
they cannot secure nesting places; it
implies check on the fertility of the
surrounding country; it implies disas
trous fl a)ods in spring, when the SHOWS
melt, there being no soil to hold the
moisture and no scs cen of limbs or
leaves to shadow the drifts from the
northing sun; it implies a lessening
rainfall, with increasing drought; it
i'm plies the ultimate CONVERSION Of de
torested tracts into desert.
The case of Spain is familiar one.
1t was once well wooded and was
capable of sustaining large agricul-
tural population. is trees were re
lentlessly hewn down by greedy spoil
ers, with the result that, in time, dis
trICts once fertile became rainless and
dusty, the vegetable mould disap
peared, the streams dWindled, and the
population was driven from the soil
into the cities, where many became
beggars, adventurers, or l8borers at
uncongenial tasks for wretched wages.
To this day the arid districts remain as
Natures protest against mans destrqc
tiveness and selfishness.
There is a remedy for this and it is
time it was applied. It consists in
scientific forestry. It is not necessary
to restrict the cutting Of timber to a
great extent. It needs only a little
intelligence and little after work in
planting. A hill should never be de-
forested. The largest and Oldest trees
should be chosen for cutting. In place
of every one cut down. sapling should
be planted. In many of the trac.s de
vastated within recent years thousands
and hundreds Of thousands of trees
have been destroyed and not single
one set out to replace them. Yet we
have officials who can defend such
proceedings! It is appalling.
In the parts of the Old world that
claim to be enlightened the authorities
have b9en compelled to institute re
forms, for there was a general alarm
over the drying of the springs and the
failure Of the rivers. The Rhine, the
Rhone, the ELbe, the DAnube-in fact,
most of the important rivers of Europe
have subsided by several feet, and not
only the navigation, but the health,
convenience and industries Of the peo
pie have been correspOndingIy affected.
To stay this devastation, to restore, II
possible, fatness to the soil and depth
to the streams, boards have been
created to guard the forests, prevent
needless destruction by choppiug and
By fire-our own forests have suffered
much from the carelessnees of hunters
and miners in leaving fires burning in
the woods-to study the effects Of soil,
climate and locality, and to plant lib
orally. Through the benefc6nt opera
tions of the forestry boards districts
have been redeemed, industries have
been preserved and restored, and the
beauty and prosperity of several lands
tavorably affected. We, who have
more natural advantages, must be less
wasteful or we shall not have them.
Says the Durham correspondent R a.
eigh Post: From the present outlook
Durham will sell more leaf tobacco
this year than ever before in her his
tory. Already the warehousemen are