The Coalville times. [volume] (Coalville, Utah) 1894-1923, 1901-08-16
TO PREVENT FLOODS.
PHILADELPHIA MAN SUGGESTS
EXTENSIVE TREE PLANTING.


The forest is to rainfall what the
balance wheel Is to the steam engine.
Il gives relief to extremes OF drought
and OF freshet by regulating ia-
creaslng rainfall. Therefore. the for
est In proper proportion on the cnrths
surface is the cure Of devastating
floods that waste human and brute
lives and destroy millions Of dollars
worth OF property. This Is Cspecl ~
true In the Mississippi basin. lsd
moro particularly In the lower parts OF
that basin, From the mouth OF the
Ohio TO the Mississippi delta this dam
age reaches tens OF millions OF dollars
year The ratio OF ruin Is steadily
Increasing there. and Is sure to con-
tlnue to increase TN the arboreal rem
edy above suggested Is applied This
Is not theory II has been widely Prov
ed by centuries OF experience In Eu-
rope and Asia Great rivers and their
afiluonts have vlbratcd between droar-
fly dry beds and torrents that were a
terror to all concerned after the defor-
esting Of their watersheds. In we'll
known cases. especially In France.
equable flow has followed reforcstlng
OF those slopes. Study OF the natural
philosophy involved In this problem
shows this must he the case: the logic
Of events" practically corroboratos
theory. The parts most needing TO be
In forest are those eastNnoeded for
agriculture. They are the steep banks
OF streams and the remoter hillsldes,
especially In regions Immediately
drained by their hoadwaters. Hence,
to be sufficiently remedial states 1000
miles northorly from New Orleans
must help TO save the region OF which
that city Is the center; Wisconsin,
Minnesota and the Dakotas. Illinois,
Iowa. Nebraska and Kansas must CO.
operate; their Legislators and the
boards Of trade and chambers OF com
merce must be induced to act: the
boards OF education must take the sub
/ ject into the common schools, so that
the young grow mp TO understand the
practical philosophy OF this subject
In all these educative departments II
must and can be shown that It will pay
and pay promptly 10 wisely treat these
forest interests Thus and thus only
can the people be led 20 demand need
ed forest legislation. and sustain such
legislation after II Is secured. No in
terests can better afford TO favor for
est Improvements than chambers OF
/ commerce and boards OF trade. Water
/ transportation Is secured by one-tenth
the traction TO move a ton OF freight
than IA needed TO move Il by rail. The
rivers are not reliable for navigation
unless their flow n more regular than
In most Of our rivers. When they
plowed through the forest prlmoval
| there was little change In their vol
ume. a boat requiring a given depth OF
water could float pretty much all the
/ year when the stream was not Ice
blocked For well known reasons a
| proper proportion OF forusir prevents
| the sitting" OF streams that ruin
many harbors. and create bars that
prevent sea-golng vessels and Others
requiring deep water from reaching
their docks. Philadelphia Is a case Ia
point In this connection In an address
by the writer before the recent South.
ern Industrial convention In Phila.
delphia. he showed that railways and
others have cleared millions IN less
than tyo decades by tree planting
Therefore the profits OF forestry arc
the key to the situation. II viii pay
splendidly TO ntolligcntly engage In
tree planting. II Is terribly rulnou
20 fail to restore our wasted arborenl
wealth Every year OF delay to begin
TO apply the remedy to evils here sug,
gested Is loss OF many millions OF
dollars TO the people Of practically each
and every state In the nation. II Is an
opportunity that should be grasped. r.
George May Powell In Philadelphia
Times,
u