Casco Bay breeze. [volume] (South Harpswell, Me.) 1901-1917, 1909-08-19
The Waste Of Our
Natural Resources.

proximates 100000 per day o.
over one-sixth Of the value OF ths
total production.
eral. 1t Is undeniable that we are f1sk
ing to secure as large crops al Ne
should. chiefly because we neglect
some fundamental principles. such
as the development Of rotating crops
and so blowing on sloping grounds n
to prevent washing away Of the soil
Although we have some Of the rich
est soil In the world, the average
yield per acre from 1897 to 1906 va
1873 bushels Of wheat in the United
States as against twenty-eight in Ger
many and 1922 in the United King
dom.
The facts as above set forth relat-
ing to the exhaustion OF our fuel sup
plies indicate that In the future
years the value of water power Al .
National asset will become increa8-
ingly evident. To utilize the full by
draulic power Of the rivers 1t win
be Of the greatest importance to re-
duce the extremes Of fow SO that the
waste Of water through floods may
be made a minimum. Statistics
show. moreove., that the annual
damage done by floods Is increasing
and has risen from $45,000,000 in
1900 to $11S.000,000 in 1907. The
Merrimac River discharges at its per
Tod Of highest food seventy times N
much water per second as II does AZ
Its lowest stage, and ten times an
much as its average flow throughout
the year. The regularity of the hov
may be increased by the preservation
of the forest, whose presence tends
to retard the run-off Of the rainfall.
and by the construction of reservoirs.
which will hold back the floods and
allow the surplus waters to be drawn
OF as needed, thereby. increasing the
average flow throughout the year.
Particularly necessary IS 1T to pro-
tect the forests on steep mountain
slopes. with a view to the prevention
OF floods and the resulting destruc-
ton Of arabic lands in the lower val
legs. In the Tenth Congress on In
ternational Navigation held in Milan
in 1905. the engineers were unanim-
Gus upon this point. NJ. Lafosse, the
French delegate, describes the evil
effect of stripping the mountain sides
as follows:
The soil, swept bare of its forests,
exhausted by the abuses of grazing.
loses quickly its vegetable stratum.
Washed periodically, and carried
away by melting snow and summer
storms. 1t is soon disaggregated. The
| waters run toward the low points.
rolling before them gravel and boul
ders, and even tearing out loose sec
lions Of rock. A thousand rivnlet,
cut out beds, the torrent is formed.
Scours begin, the banks are broken
down, and mass of mud, stones and
rocks invades the valley, destroying
very.hing as it passes"
Most OF the countries OF Europs
have learned the lesson and taken
steps for the careful preservation OF
their forests; and this has been done
not merely with a view to increasing
tic timber supply. but in the intez-
ests OF navigation. Over half a cen
tuTy ago the FTerch Government en-
tered upon a pclicy CT forest protec.
ton md reforestlticn. and I'D to the
first OF January. 1909, they had ac-
crired 20 less than go square mile,
Tor these purposes. The efforts OF
orr cun Government to solve this
cuessicn on q scale commensn alta
with its Importance should receive
the nearsy cooperation OF every State
OF the misunderstanding American.