The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1902-06-18
THE APPALACHIAN RESERVE.
SEN ATOR DEPEW,s SPEECH.

SEN ATOR DEPEW'S SPEECI
: The Preservation of Our Forest
Has Been Too Long Neglect
ed.
The Senate bill for the purchase {
national forest reserve in the Soutl
ern Appalachian mountains, to
known as the "National Appaluchia
Forest Reserve" which had bee
heartily commended TO the considers
ton of Congress, was under considers
tion in the Senate when Mr.. Chaunce
M. Depew, of New York, membe
of the committee in charge of the bill
made strong and argumentativ
speech in behalf of the plan. He sai'
that the results of an Investigation b,
the committee were 80 convincing an,
satisfactory that legislation seemed I,
be imperative, and then he continued
as follows:
Nature has been so prodigal in he
gifts of forests to the United States tha
the important question of their preser.
vation has been neglected too To-
The attacks of the settlers upon ,ue
woods for clearings and home have
been indiscriminate and wasteful in
the extreme. The settlers are not tC
blame, nor are the lumbermen. The
] destruction which has been going on
! with such frightfully increasing rapid
ity during the last fifty years Is due to
lack of that government supervision
in the interest of the whole people
which can only come from education
and experience. The lumberman
wishes to realize at once upon his pur-
chase, and as rule vast fortunes are
made in decreasing the land. Rail-
roads are run into the woods, all the
appliances of modern inventions and
machinery are at work, and this mag
nilicent inheritance is being squander-
ed with rapidity which is full of peril
for the future.
Intelligent conservation of the for
ests of the country is the highest evil
dence of its civilization. The climate,
the soil, the productive capacity of the
farm, the equabllity of the rainfall
and the beneficent flow of the streams
are all dependent upon the science of
forestry. We have wisely set apart
already in the West al nation al re-
serves-about 46,000,00O acres. One
of them is already paying expenses
and yielding slight revenue.
The experience of the older coun-
tries of the world is of great value in
this Investigation. Forestry has been
practiced in Germany for hundreds of
years. Except for this wise and
thoughtful care by the government,
the fatherland would be wholly unable
to sustain its crowded population.
Twenty-six per cent. of the land of
that country is in forests, of which the
government owns two-thirds. We
have left in our country only 2G per
cent. of our territory in woods. Ger
many has special schools of forestry
for the education of her youth in this
science. The young forester is taught
all that books and lectures can give,
and then is placed in a course of from
three to seven years in the practical
application of his work and personal
study upen tEe ground. In that way
he becomes better fitted for his career.
The government not only cares for lts
own forests, but il brings under its su-
pervision, laws, and rules those of pri-
vate owners.
In France IL per cent. of the coun-
try is in the forest, of which the gov.
ernment owns one-ninth. The ruin
caused by floods and by the drying up
of streams from deforesting the noun
tain sides led one of the ablest states
men of France, Colbert, during the
reign of LOUIS XIV, to prepare and
put in force code of forest laws.
Under this code, as perfected, all the
forests in France, whether owned by
the government, by communes, or by
individuals, are under the direct su-
pervision and control of the depart
ment of agriculture.
The same is true in Italy, in Switz.
erland, and in Austria. European
governments are going still further in
the line of forest preservation. The
Italian government found that their
valley farms were being destroyed by
the floods which in the rainy season
poured down from their deforested
mountain slopes. They came TO the
conclusion that it would be true ccono-
my for Italy to reforest these hills.
They have arranged for the expendi-
ture of $12, 900, 900, and this reforests
only 100000 acres. Flance, feeling
the same disastrous effects upon hel
agriculture and from the same cause
expended $12, 2,000,0 900 In the refOrest.
ing of 800 900 acres, and has made ar.
rangements for the expenditure OF
1913 100000 more to complete hel
plan. L. costs for this roforestine 1924
an acre in Italy and 500 All acre II
France. Notwithstanding this large
expenditure, it will he half century
before the full benefit of the reforest
ing can be felt. 1t will be many gen
erations before the soil in the woods
will have acquired that quality of ab
sorption ana retention of the waite
whichmakes 1t both reservoir and ,
protection for the farms below.
The proposition before us is not t,
reforest at 1924 an acre, as in Italy, o
at $50 an acre, as in France, but at al
expense of about so an acre to presery
the forests which have been formin,
: for over thousand years in trees an,
soil. Scientific forestry in Germany
France, and Italy gathers an annua
crop from the trees which have reach
: ed the point whore they are CONNER