The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-04-14
0oNu11vArroH or TonEsrs.

0oMB11vATToN or 1on1srs.
 At first thought there would seem but little connection between the cities. the railroads and the forests. but they are intimately, associated in interest. and if no other. reasons but selfish ones existed for the preservation of our forests. the towns and cities and the railroads should join in the work of preventing the threatened destruction of the timber. It is not difiicult to see and understand that the prosperity of the cities depends vesy iaroely on the farms Even thoss cities in which the inhabitants are mostly engaged in manufacturing must depend on the farmers to feed the working men and to purchase the finished products of the mechanics. So. too. the railroads must depend very largely for their profits on the hauling they do for the farmers in carrying their produce to the cities and h hauling back supplies for the country people.
 But what has all this to do with forest preservation? Very much, for one de- psnds to great extent on the other. It has taken the American people long time to learn it. but they are learning that stripping large tracts entirely of all kinds of timber inevitably decreases the rain supply and is the cause of drouehts occurring more frequently and lasting longer. Where . country Is covered with thick woods, the roots of the trees. and the leaves and grasses on the sur- face prevent the rain water from running of almost as fast as 1t falls. as is the case where the ground is bare of vegetA. ton. Then, again. the trees themselves serve as shades CT umbrellas to prevent the too rapid evaporation of the water | that has fallen. In the former case we have floods In the rainy season followed by dry and hot summers. while in the
 latter case the earth hoids the surplus
 water, and as that slowly evaporates it
 produces rains in the wooded regions.
 Thus comes about the intimate connec-
 ton of which we spoke. If there are not
 seasonable rains. there cannot. be sood
 crops and if the crops fail the railroads have less to haul and the townspeopie
 have less custom and dearer provisions. The railroads and the people of the cities are interested in the prosperity of the | farmers. not 70 directly as the latter are.
 but none the less vftaiiy. To al of
 them forest preservation is . matter of I profound interest and ali should work to- gether to prevent the fnai and total de-
 struction of our timber supply.
 But there is another point which should
 not be lost sight of. and that is the effect
 which forest destruction has on the
 streams of the country. As already in-
 timated, where the country is bare oi | vegetation. the heavy rains of winter
 and spring run of almost as fast as
 they fall and frequent disastrous floods are the rusuit. Then the little water
 that is left in the earth evaporates rap-
 idly and drougAts follow. Another na.
 tural result is that the springs, wells
 and small streams fail and people and
 stock suffer in consequence. All these
 results are natural as well as inevitable
 In. many portions of Europe the facts ! ohS Wcil cctdOlDuSus anu OI CeFtdfn sec
 tons of our own country The Brooklyn Eagle says:
 Already in many parts of New England and the Middle States the unrestricted l choppinB of the timber has caused thu disappeArance of brooks that formerl, nowed and wells that never dried nov yield but trickle of water, after snow
 melting. In the matter of mills alone capital represented in millions, and giv ing employment Co thousands, is nnenaced for if there fs no water power there car Do no milling in places like Cohoes, Giens , Falls, Minneapolis, Holyoke and other . growing industrial centers.
 Like causes produce like effects, ant what has occurred in New England ma,
 reasonably be expected to occur in Ala } bama.' We cannot have full and regular
 streams. springs and wells. nor can W,
 have regular and seasonable rains if tn,
 timber is all destroyed. and all classel and occupations are equally interested il the preservation of the forests as far a, possible Already some of the States ar, taking up the subject in a practical wa, and others will do 1t eventually. Mucl harm has already be.n done. but it fl
 not too late to save something, and tn sooner the better.