Los Angeles herald., 1908-03-03
LSFRIENDS
FOREST LORE
ENos A. MILLS ADDRESSES THE
E5ELL CLUB
TREES MOST HELPFUL FLOWERS
THAT GROW
Man Appointed Two Years Ago by the
Government as Forestry Agent
Talks Of His Work Before
Los Angeles Women

tion who is interested in the subject Of ma
tnre study Is to take course in a school of
forestry and become forester"
Enos A. Mills, United States forestry
agent, came from El Paso Sunday
night, remaining just long enough to-
speak before the Ebell club yesterday
afternoon about ~"Our Friends, the
Trees" and left on the owl for San
Francisco, where he is scheduled to adj
dress the California club tonight.
Mr.. Mills, as his position with the
United States bureau of forestry indi-
Gates, is an expert on all matters con-
cerning our friends the trees and
draws from an intimate knowledge of
his subject gained during years of life
in the open, and is convincing speak
er. He knows the fierce JOY of breast
| ing old winters wind and snow on the
summit of the mountain quite as well
as the more> tranquil and peaceful VIC
tory to be obtained with kodak over
the shy denizens of the summer fields
and canyons. He is a man of slender
build and medium height, quiet and
| unassuming. with the weather beaten,
ruddy look of mountaineer.
Keeps Young Look
He is himself authority for the state
ment that the top of his head is "above
timber line" but the curly brown
thatch beneath shows not one gray
hair and is circumstantial evidence
that the owner is still many stages
from the crest on the sunny slope of
life.
There are kindly little wrinkles at
the corners of the keen gray eyes, and
the firm mouth relaxes in a smile whose
friendliness reveals the secret whereby
this man wins friends even in the wild.
The friendlineSs is more than skin
deep, too, for he Is a disciple of John
Muir, and for seven years has not car
ried fire arms, claiming that while one
might need a gun in the wilderness OF
a big city like San Francisco, in the
forest wild animals will show to in
truders the same etiquette that Is
shown to them.
For two years Mr.. Mills has been lec-
turing throughout the United States on
his specially, speaking before gather
ings of business men and under the
auspices of the General Federation of
woman's clubs, but his duties close In
July and then he will devote himser
for a time to study and to writing
He is considering an offer from Hough-
ton e Miffiin, the Boston publishers,
who have asked him to do for the
mountains of Colorado what John Muir
has done for those of California, ana
If accepted this will occupy him Tor
some time.
Formerly Lived Here
This was not Mr.. Mills first visit to
Southern California, as he lived mere
for twelve months eighteen years ago.
At the end of that time he climbed TO
the top of the mountain range to the
north of Pasadena, and as a pleasant
constitutional walked to San Francisco.
since then he has passed five years In
the Klondike, studying the hora and
fauna of that section, has rougheo II
as guide in the Colorado mountains,
and for three years roamed the highest
peaks of the Rockies on snow shoes,
STUDYING for the government the rise
and fall of the barometer, the sun ana
storm, clouds and wind, the bird, IN
sect and animal life of the slopes, ana
being officially known as the state snow
observer of Colorado.
Yesterdays address was mainly
along the line of utility, dealing with
the use of trees In the form OF Woou
and its products, and then taking up
the living wood. '"Trees," said he, are
the best friends man has-they are tine
nost helpful flowers that grow. For
ests are absolutely necese- cry in coun-
trv where people are building perma-
nent homes, and yet the United states
is facing a timber famine within lne
next fifteen years at the present rate
of consumption. Last year the Ameri-
can neople used more wood in proGucts
than ever before in the history or the
country. 1t furnishes material for
food, fire, clothing and shelter.
Tells Tree Lore
Then followed what the speaker
called a simple primer or tree iore, III
which was presented concise STORY
Of the many ways in which wood and
its products have become necessity
of the twentieth century life, instanc-
ing the New York Sunday paper for
each issue Of which twenty acres or
forest are sacrificed weekly
The uses OF forests We're enumerated
somewhat as follows: They increase
the water supply, 1t having been shown
that the stream flow IN Germany mas
heen practically doubled since the
sources were forested; they prevent
high winds, and help keep the climate
eollable. AS it is CHARACTERISTIC of
forests to heat and cool slowly, and in
cidentaliy they afford, shelter to live
stock; they are sanitary, as they alb
sorb poisonous gases from the at
mosphere and prevent the blowing
about of great clouds of dust; they
conserve the rainfall, as forested
ground acts as q big reservoir from
which the water escapes little at a
time, instead of running off as surface
waste.
In connection with the statement
that forests and their roots anchor the
soil, Mr.. Mills said that over $1,O00,0O0,-
900 worth of soil is lost to the United
States annually through being washed
by flood into the great waterways,
and that last year over twice as much
soil was washed into the Mississippi as
the government will need to remove
from the aPnama isthmus in order to
dredge the canal
Blocks Waterways
All this soil blocks the deep water
ways also, and here is another grave
danger and big expense.
In connection with reference to the
enormous forest areas destroyed an
nually by fire. the speaker said that
enough timber had been lost in this
way in Colorado alone in the last thip-
ty years to put belt one mile wide
around the earth. The startling state-
ment was made that forest destruction
in United States has amounted to $780,
600, 900 each year, and was added, "it
might have been prevented by the
practice of forestry"
These evils the United States gov
ernment Is striving to prevent, and it
is a matter of record that the govern
ment foresters were instrumental in
extinguishing 11,000 forest fires last
year on Uncle Sans little wood lot of
100000 acres. To perpetuate forests, to
improve them by cutting out the old