Warren sheaf. [volume] (Warren, Marshall County, Minn.) 1880-current, 1908-12-10


Il pushed into policy OF destruction
which cannot afford to take thought
for the morrow. This IL just one OF
those matters which It Is fatal to leave
to unsupervised individual control. The
forests can only be protected by the
state. by the nation; and the liberty OF
action OF individuals must be condi-s
toned upon what the state or nation
determines to be necessary for the COM.
mon safety.
The lesson Of deforestation in China.
1s q lesson which mankind should have
learned many times already from what
has occurred in other places. Denuda-5
ton leaves naked soil; then outlying
cuts down to the bare rock: and mean
while the rock-waste bur{es the bottom.:
lands. When the soil Is gone. men
must go: and the process does not take
long.
Cost OF Ruthless Destruction.
The ruthless destruction OF the for
ests in northern China has brought
about, or has aided in bringing about,
desolation. just as the destruction Of
the forests n central Asia aid in bring
Ing ruin to the once rich central Asian
cities: Just az the destruction Of the
forests in northern Africa helped
towards the ruin OF region that was
q fertile granary In Roman days.
Shortsighted man, whether barbario,
semi civilized. or what he mistakenly
regards as fully civilized. when he has
destroyed the forests. has rendered GER.
tain the ultimate destruction Of the
land itself. In northern China the
mountains are now such 40 are shown
by the accompanying photographs, alb
solutely barren peaks. Not only have
the forests been destroyed, but because
OF their destruction the soil has been
washed OF the naked rock. The terri
BILE consequence Is that It Is impossible
now to undo the damage that has been
DONE Many centuries would have to
pass before soil would again collect, or
could be made to collect, In sufficient
quantity once more to support the old
time forest growth. In consequences
the Mongol desert is practically extend
ing eastward over northern China. The
climate has changed and is still
changing. It has changed even within
! the last half century, as the work Of
tree destruction has been contaminated.
The great masses of arboreal vegeta.
ton on the mountains formerly alb.
sorbed the heat Of the sun and sent up
currents of cool air which brought the
motsture-laden clouds lower and
forced them to precipitate in rain q
part Of their burden Of water. Now
that there is no vegetation the barren
mountains scorched by the sun, send up
currents Of heated air which drive
away instead Of attracting the rain
clouds, and cause their moisture to be
disseminated. In consequence, instead
Of the regular and plentiful rains which
existed in these regions Of China when
the forests were still in evidence, the
unfortunate Inhabitants OF the defor.
ested lands now see their crops wither
tor lack of rainfall; while the seasons
grow more and more irregular; and an
the air becomes dryer certain crops re-
fuse LONGER to grow at all. That every
thing dries out faster than formerly IL
shown by the fact that the level OF the
wells all over the land has sunk per-
ceptibly, many Of them having become
totally dry. In addition to the result
ing agricultural distress, the water.
courses have changed. Formerly they
were narrow and deep, with an abun-
dance OF clear water the year around:
for the roots and humus Of the for
ests caught the rainwater and let Il
escape by slow, regular seepage. They
have now become broad, shallow stream
beds, In which muddy water trickles in
slender currents during the dry sea-
sons. while when it rains there are
freshets and roaring muddy torrents
come tearing down, bringing disaster
and destruction everywhere. Moreover,
these floods and freshets, which diver
| sify, the general dryness, wash away
from the mountain sides, and either
| wash away or cover in the valleys,
| the rich fertile soil which it took tens
| Of thousands Of years for Nature to
form; and 1t is lost forever, and until
| the forests grow again It can not be re-
placed. The sand and stones from the
| mountain sides are washed loose and
come rolling down to cover arabic
| lands, and in consequence, throughout
this part OF China, many formerly rich
districts are now sandy wastes, useless
for human cultivation and even for
pasture. The cities have been Of course
| seriously affected, for the streams have
gradually ceased to be navigable. There
Is testimony that even within the mem-
| DRY OF men now living there has been
serious diminution OF the rainfall OF
| northeastern China. The level Of the
/ Sungari river in northern Manchuria
| has been sensibly lowered during the
| last SO years, at least partly as the re-
suit Of the indiscriminate cutting Of
| the forests forming its watershed. Al
most all the rivers of northern China
have become uncontro1lable, and very
| dangerous to the dwellers along their
| banks, as a direct result OF the destruc-
! ton of the forests. The journey from
/ Pekin to Jehol shows in melancholy
| fashion how the soil has been washed
away from whole valleys. so that they
| have been converted into deserts.
Complete Desolation Pictured.
/ z&5 In nOrLlern3 2sCn1na5AIn1S II disastrous
process has gone on so long and has
! proceeded SO far that no complete rem-
edy could be applied There are GER
tain mountains in China from which
the soil is gone so utterly that only
| the slow action Of the ages could again
| restore It; although of course much
could be done to prevent the still fur
ther eastward extension OF the Mongo.
Han desert II the Chinese government
would act at once. The accompanying
cuts from plot phs show the IN.
conceivable desolation OF the barren
mountains In which certain OF these
rivers rise-mountatns, he 1t remem.
#bered, which formerly supported dense
forests Of larches and frs, now unable
/ to produce any wood, and because OF
their condition a source OF danger to
the whole country. The Photographic
also show the same rivers after they
4 have passed through the moantains.
| the beds having become broad ana
sandy because Of the deforestation 81
the mountains. One 81 the photographs
shows caravan passing through s
/ valley. Formerly x, when the mountains
were forested, It was thickly peopled
L