Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1903-06-17
sGyI9LSI5sJ1&
@'I9F1ElISPl72<
Forest and Flood.

This is not an exceptional record. Ev-
cry two or three years the foods are as
disastrous to life and property inter
ests as they have been this year. 1t
is believed that one half bf this loss
might be prevented by the reforestation
of lands on the water sheds of the great
rivers and by tree planting ON the plains
Of Kansas and Nebraska.
The losses by the food in the Ohio
valley few weeks ago were estimated
at $50,000,000. The losses along some
of the smaller Pennsylvania rivers in
Pennsylvania amounted to $1,000,o00.
The storms in South Carolina on Satur-
day destroyed S3,500,000 worth of prop
erty At low estimate, the floods of
this spring have entailed a loss to pro.
ducers and business interests and private
property in the United States of $780,
100000.
This would be n moderate outlay, even
if there wcrr no profit in tree planting,
but the expei iments Of railway managers
and of farmers prove that tree planting
as a business is profitable. Therefore it
is not easy to understand why the farm
ers of the country, the railway mana
gers, the manufacturers, and business
men generally do not unite in a common
| movement to secure practical safety from
disastrous floods at an annual expendi-
ture of money not one fourth as large as
the annual loss By hoods.--Chirago Inter
1 Ocean.
Taking the first cost, however, OF tree
planting, the 100000 trees planted in
this country every year involve an ex-
pcndture Of not more than S250000. If
| the number lbf trees planted annually
were increased one hundred fold the cost
would be S2J,000,000. and if We planted
I 500,000.000 trees a year we could have
in twenty-five years such measure
of reforestation as would produce the
| conditions that prevailed when the water
sheds Of our great rivers were covered
with forests
The recent floods in KANSAS damaged
property in the twenty FIVE principal
cities Of the State and in Kansas City,
Mo. to the amount of $12 100000. The
| losses in the 200 smaller towns in the
| zone of the foods will probably increase
this 10 SO 100000 The losses IN Ne
! braska are scheduled at S10.O00000 The
/ losses in Missouri, including ST. Louis.
/ win probably reach S20000,000, and the
| losses to farmers and others in Illinois
/ and other States along the river will in
/ crease the total to $00O00,000.
Experiments in New York, Pennsyl-
( yania, Illinois, Minnesota and other States
| show that tres may be grown at a profit.
/ A liberal estimate places the first ex-
| pense Of planting trees at $40 an acre.
! In one case in Illinois the preparation
/ for planting. the planting, and the care
Of ten acres Of trees for ten years was
$500. Al the experiment station at the
Illinois University seven acres were
planted with 81, T49 trees, at cost of
S433 for trees. S10G for planting and $43
for cultivation, or total Of $3.50, or $S3
an acre.
1t is contended by the Minnesota for
| estry department that crop Of trees can
be grown IS surely as a crop Of corn,
and, in proportion to its value, with far
less expense: that ten acres properly
! planted with timber and properly culti-
waited will in five years supply fuel for
a family and fencing for a farm Of 100
acres; that the most worthless lands of
treeless regions, when planted in trees,
can be sold for 500 per acre within
twenty years; that the net profits on q
quarter section Of prairie, properly pre-
pared. planted. and cultivated with forest
trees, viii within ten years exceed the
net profits Of ten quarter sections OF
wheat