Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1908-12-10

air becomes drier certain crops refuse
longer to grow at ALL
That everything dries out faster than
formerly, is shown by the fact TINT the
level of the wells all over the land has
sunk perceptibly, many of them hav-
ing become totally dry. In addition to
the resulting agricultural distress. the
water courses have changed. Former,
ly they We're narrow and deep. Will, an
abundance of clear water the year
around, for the roots and humus of
the forests caught the rainwater and
let 1t escape by slow. regular seepage
They have now become broad, shallow
stream beds in which muddy water
tricklcs in slender currents during the
dry seasons, while when it rains there
are freshets. and roaring muddy tor.
rents come tearing down, bringing dis
aSter and destruction everywhere.
Moreover. these floods and freshets.
which diversity 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 wears for
nature to form. and it is lost forever.
and until the forests grow again it
cannot be replaced. The sand and
stones from the mountain sides are
washed loose and come rolling down to
cover the arabic lands, and in conse-
quence throughout this part of China
many formerly rich districts are now
sandy wastes, useless for human cul-
tiVation and even for pasture. The
cities have been, of course, seriously
affected, for the streams have grad
ually ceased to be navigable. There is
testimony that even within the mem
DRY of men now living there has been
n serious diminution of the rainfall of
northeastern China. The level of the
Sungari river, in northern Manchuria,
has been sensibly lowered during the
last fifty years. at least partly as the
result of the indiscriminate cutting Of
the forests forming its watershed. AL
most all the rivers of northern China
have become uncomfortable and very
dangerous to the jewellers along their
banks as a direct result of the destruc.
tion 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.
In northern China this disastrous
process has gone on so long and has
proceeded so far that no complete
remedy could be applied. There are
certain 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 farther eastward extension of the
Monaghan desert if the Chinese gov
eminent would act at once. The ac-
companying cuts from photographs
show the Uncomfortable desolation of
the barren mountains in which GER
tain of these rivers rise-mountains.
be it remembered. which formerly
supported dense forests Of larches
and frs, now unable TO produce any
wood and because of their condition
Il source of danger to the whole coun-
try The photographs also show the
same rivers after they have passed
through the mountains, the beds hav-
ing become broad and sandy because
of the deforestation Of the mountains
One Of the photographs shows q cara
van passing through valley. For
merly, when the mountains were for
ested, il was thicEly peopled by pros
perous peasants. Now the floods have
carried destruction ali over the land
and the valley, is a stony desert. An-
other photograph shows a mountain
road covered with the stones and
rocks that are brought down in the
rainy season from the mountains
which have already been. deforested
by human hands. Another shows a
pebbly river bed in southern Man
churia where what was once great
stream has dried up owing to the de-
in the mountains.l Only
some scrub wood is left, which will
disappear. within q half century. Yet
another shows the. effect of one Of the
destroying an arabic noun
tain side these washouts being due to
the removal of all vegetation. yet in
this photograph the foreground shows
that reforestation is still possibility
i'll places.
What has thus happened in northern
China, what has happened in central
Asia, in Palestine, in north Africa,
in parts of the Mediterranean coun-
tries OF Europe. will surely happen in.
our country it, we do not exercise that
wise forethougbt which should be one
of the chief marks Of any people call
ing itself civilized. Nothing should be
permitted to stand in the way of the
of the forests, and it is
topermit individuals to pur-
chase a little gain for themselves
through the destruction of forests
when this destruction is fatal 10 the
well being Of the whole country in the
future.
Inland Waterways.
Action should be begun forthwith,
during the present session of congress,
for the Improvements of our inland wa
which viii result lin