The Montgomery advertiser. [volume] (Montgomery, Ala.) 1885-1982, 1902-02-23

St. Louis Globe-Democrat
The Importance Of forest preseaSa .hot aH
questions are likely to assume distinct po-
liticai status in the Immediate future For
thing closely approaching scientific status
has been reached for both. -,
subject has: been studied from the tstandpsints
of the related sciences which bear upon IT
as of psSSs srsst mass Of de-
tailed analytical information accumulated by
any of these sciences sufficiently bly, explains FMS
cusing them all on any given point
The most important conclusion from tne e,a at.
tempt to do so in studying the treeiess REGIONS
those of south America. Africa and Asia, is
befween forests and rainfall. there is a fac
tor of stiii greater Importance than rainfall
in de bs mnse to ~ bear forest growth
This factor is held to be the geoiogicai char-
acter of the SOIL as 1t SHOWS user NE orv
In illustration it is pointed out that in Kan
sas Nebraska and other Western states,
where there are wide areas without trees.
the rainfall is both more abundant and more
evenly tn Hose considerable areas Of California,
where, though the rainfall is less and is less
the Individual trees sometimes OF very great
Another well known fact Is that throughout
the western prairies considerable tracts are
often covered with trees, while the country
around them subject to the same rainfall ana
with apparently the same humidity is alto
IN studying such facts as this. they
present themselves in the United States. re-
lated conditions in Asia and Africa have
been brought to bear. Thus it appears that in
the Sahara desert the fineness Of the parti-
DERIVING sandstone is an obstacle 10 tree
growth, which is even greater than that Of
The lack of moisture. The trees in soil
which is so fine that it shifts around the roots
cannot survive with the same amount OF mois-
ture which would enable them to flourish
in soil derived from underlying hmes ,hn1,e
stesdfast support. In examining the charac
tel of the soil in the treeless regions of the
found in a more or less modified form which
govern On the Asiatic steppes ana the south
American pampas. Wherever the SOIL Is sueh
a very fine deposit as is left by ocean cur
rents trees do not take hold as they do where
the soil is more stable .. ., .
Although" says Professor Whitney, the
relative positions OF the tracts occupied by
timber and grass lin the trans Mississippi
Vest may seem to be quite arbitrary. such
becomes evident enough when one examines
with care the character of the soil OF the re
zion. The trees are invarianly 1ouna 70 oe
pf the soil while that which underlies the
praries themselves lis exceedingly hne-so
much so, indeed. that it polishes the imple-
ments used in cutivating it instead of ctatch-
ing them. This extremely fine soil, which Is
,ayond n doubt unfaYorable to the growth of
rees is in places the result of the filling up
IF old lake basins with fine sediment, but in
the true prairie region more often the resi-
aium Iefr after theS disolving away of the
soft easily decomposed rocks which under
lie the whole region in nearly horizontal beds
This residuum, which is almost impaipaby
n which the rocks We're being deposited by
l,arinc currents coming from great distance
and therefore, bringing only the mostly finely
,0mminutcd material"
rainfall has a most important effect on
wee growth which. except in this connection