Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1902-12-16

some OF Its mOlSture' " NC
the greater part, led by gravitation. es-
capes at length slowly at the Dottom oi
the hill.
The effect of all this upon the stead
fast flow of springs and streams ana
even rivers has long ago been pointed
ont. The surplus water OF the mouh-
tain side filters through roots and rocks
and beds of sand or gravel, hnaliy
reaches an impervious layer and ap-
proaches the surface. there to become
an unfailing source of spring or rivu-
Iet The SHOWS of winter linger long
in the shadows of the trees, thaWing
slowly. yielding scarcely anything to
drainage on the surface.
If is evident from the present argu-
ment that forests tend by their very
nature to keep uniform the water sup
ply in the region they affect. 1t Is not
always the amount Of water land re-
ceiyes that determines its fertility. 1t
is rather the amount retained ana
used. So that even if we concede. as
some people would have us do that
forests have little to do with the amount
of rainfall in any case it is yet evident
that n land with its proportion OF wood
land is likely to be more moist than
one without. The moisture 1t receives
is longer retained. The state OF Iowa,
for instance. enjoys perchance as much
precipitation as it ever enjoyed. New
ertheless the state as whole Is much
drier than it was thirty or forty years
ago simply because i'll advised asricul-
ture is rapidly removing from all the
streams their forest cover, is draining
every lake and pond. The prairie
slopes, trodden hard by the boots of
ten thousand herds, shed rainwater
like slated roofs. and much Of the rain
fall the state receives today Is hurried
as rapidly as possibie'tO the sea.
But there is another particular in
which the presence or absence or for
est may profoundly affect the welfare
of civilized men. This also is i matter
of the purely mechanical or physical
sort. Forests not only hold the air.
the water, but they likewise hold the
soil on which they stand. Where this
is loose. sandy. gravelly or rocky the
removal Of the trees exposes 1t to an
erosion which, as far as all human
purposes are concerned, is often sim
ply destruction. The best Illustrations
of this are seen in the older countries
of the world Thus in Asia Minor. in
southern Europe, lands once the happy
homes Of millions are now desert; the
hills are naked rocks. the uncovered
framework Of the world; the valleys
are drifting sands. But Americans
need by no means visit the old world
to find ruin Of this sort. In almost any
Of our older states the same thing can
everywhere be seen. In northern Mis-
sissippi thousands Of acres of land
have been abandoned Of the farmer.
sold for taxes to the state. because
ruined by erosion. Every river valley
in the west shows the same disastrous
condition I'm greater or less degree. In
eastern Iowa, where the woods have
been cleared from steep clay hills.
these now exhibit great ravines and
gullies. down which with every storm
torrents Of water carry loads of sand
and gravel, Mt least Of inferior soil, to
cover the richer fields and meadows
spread below.
When q country loses its forest GOV.
err. especially from collecting basins.
from hills. ridges and mountain sides.
the loss is therefore Mt least threcfold-
it loses its timber supply: it loses its
water supply. ut least in regularity: 1t
loses large portions Of lis tillable soil.
swept away or buried by the force of
uncomfortable torrents
The bearing of all this is plain. Es-
pecially Is il interesting in view of our
present effort to reclaim our western
arid lands, to utilize the scant supplies
of water that reach our interior noun
tain ridges. Artificial dams encounter
their greatest hazard in the flood. Moth
ing known to man so holds back n
deluge as does q forest. 1t is thought
the Johnstown calamity might have
been averted by more regard to doc
trines such as these. and the effort
is now making by planting trees to
prevent the recurrence Of the disaster.
The fact Is the forests are actually part
and parcel In natures equilibrium after
all. They are, as we saw in Il preced-
ing chapter. the result of geologic
changes long gone by.
Downright. 1902. by lewis D sampson.l