Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1907-10-17
ENOS A, MILLS
Tells OF TREES
NOTED LECTURER SPEAKS OF
FORESTRY BEFORE WoMAN'S
CLUB SATURDAY EVENING.
WOULD SAVE THE WOODS
Will Talk to ST. Louis School Chill
dren for one Week - Famous
Nature Student

The lecture of Enos A. Mills, special
agent of the forestry commission Of
the department of agriculture for the
United States government, was at
tended by fair sized audience at the
First Presbyterian church, where I'm
der the auspices of the Woman's club
Mr.. Mills talked on Our Friends, the
Trees" on Saturday evening.
Mr.. Mills, who has been student
Of nature for several years, charmed
his. hearers by the extraordinary
knowledge of trees and forestry he
displayed in his lecture, in the course
of which he stated that lone of the
uses Of the forest is to maintain grow
ing climate, the forest checking the
hot and cold waves which sweep over
the country from time to time and
equalizing the climate" He said that it
had been learned that on forest hill
sides four-flfths of the water which
falls soaks into the ground instead Of
running directly into the valley in
creasing the streams and so forming
floods.
1.-THE water that soaks into the
the rivers slowly and thus maintains
medium amount of water in the riv-
ers. Where there are no forests the
water Immediately runs into the river
and many of the floods that are so de-
structive to property are caused IN
this way.
Tree Cutting Causes Floods.
CAL floods are formed on treeless
hillsides. The flood damage along the
Mississippi river has been growing
greater for the past fifty years because
of the cutting away and burning of the
trees, in addition to the water from
rains which swells the rivers, on hill
sides where there are no trees, the
| snow melts and runs into the rivers
very rapidly. whereas where there are
trees the snow melts slowly, and seeps
into the soil.
Another advantage Of the trees on
the hillsides, is that they keep the soil
from washing away and filling up
what would otherwise be deep water
ways. The trees also take up the poi
sonous gases and give off oxygen and
are great sanitary help by flltering
the dust out of the atmosphere.
The chief reason the speaker gave
for the practice Of forestry however
was that 1t would pay. He stated
that at the present rate. If the cutting
and burning Of timber In this state
continued to increase as 1t has done II
the past the forests of this state viii
be exhausted in 10 to 20 years. Ir
speaking of the uses to which the trees
were put commercially; the wood pulI
Of which the paper for the press c
the country Is made, said the speaker
has grown to immense proportions
The New York World alone in on
Sunday issue uses forty acres Of tim
Der to supply the wood pulp necessar,
to make the paper for that issue"
Arizona to Alaska.
Mr.. Mills is kept very busy film
the requests made for lectures an
has 100 dates booked ahead at tn
present time and has had to declin
over 600 requests for lectures on fores
try He went to Des Moines fror
here where he will spend two day
lecturing. He has been secured by tn
school board of ST Louis for an entir
) week to talk to the school children.
Aside from Ms position in the dc
partment of agriculture. Mr. Mills /
snow observer for the state of Colorad
and has tramped the mountains frol
! Arizona to Alaska; is thoroughly FAM
) liar with the studies of nature and
most interesting talked. It is hope
that a return date may be secured 5
that a greater number Of people ma
, have an opportunity to hear the note
T, forester.