Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-12-05

.Mdue, maryland, New Jersey, New
Hampshire, New York, Oklahoma, Ore
gon, Ohio. Pennsylvania, Rhode Island,
South Carolina, South Dakota and Ten
neSSee.
Educating District Pupils.
Applause greeted Mrs. J. Eakin Gadsby
vice president for the District, when she
announced that the following opponents
OF conservation, prominent in the federal
service, had been obtained to address the
pupils Of the high schools and normal
schools or Washington during the winter
months: Prof. Henry s. Graves. United
States forester; Herbert Knox Smith,
commissioner OF corporations: Robert c.
Vaientine, commissioner of Indian af-
fairs; c. j. Blanchard, DIR. W J MCGEE
and Prof. Joseph Holmes, chief Of the
bureau Of mines.
A number of the speakers laid stress
on the importance of decreasing the pol
luton Of streams, citing statistics to
show that the 'nsanitary condition of
the source of water supply is largely re-
sponsihle for many epidenics which have
resulted In great loss Of life.
Problem Of Forestry.
Aside from the encouraging reports
submitted by various officers, the feature
Of the days proceedings was an ad-
dress on 1.-THE Problem Of Forestry" by
Prof. Henry 8. Graves. United States
forester. He said in part:
1.-THE United States is essentially q
wood-using nation. Lumber has been SO
for many purposes for which other ma
tions use other material. Our per capita
consumption of wood Is seven times that
Of Germany. Forty-eight thousand saw
mills are at work supplying this ma
terial. There would be no need Of anx-
iety about our extravagant use Of tim
Der IL there were an adequate supply:
We are drawing on our capital. and
through failure to practice forestry our
forests are not r producing by new gT0x,Tn
use, let alone the amount lost by fire
and by waste. In other words. we are
actually using up our forest supplies, and
that very rapidly.
is great supply in Canada and in the
west, which may be drawn upon after
we have used up our eastern supplies.
No greater mistake could be made. The
forests of Canada are far from inexhaust-
ible. They are wasting their resources as
fast as this country, and they will need
their forests to meet their own future re-
Quirements. There Is also a belief that
the western mountains are covered with
a solid mass Of unbrolken virgin forests
This is far from the truth. The western
forests have suffered from fires from
time immemorial Not only are there
everywhere great areas burned by recent
fires, but there is scarcely q forest IN
which there are not evidences OF ancient
fires. The forests are frequently broken,
the trees SCARED and defective, and the
yield deficient because OF old hre In
juries. Immense stretches are bare or
covered with an immature growth, where
formerly some fire swept Off the forest
We cannot count on meeting our needs
by imports from other countries. nor can
the east count on meeting its full needs
from the west The country should be
self-supporting in forest products, and
each region should have q home supply
which will meet it's principal-neads. We
must stop our waste, reduce our extrava-
gance in use and increase our production
BY growth by fully 800 to 500 per cent.
Forests and Waterways Related.
Fer many years foresters and others
have given warning that the forest prob
lem reaches further than the supply Of
timber and other products. There is an
exceedingly intimate relation between the
conservation of forests and the conserva-
ton of water. The forest is the best
natural regulator of the run off of water.
Any system OF water conservation must
therefore include proper protection OF
the forest cover at the headWaters OF
rivers. The general public does not ap-
preciate the results which will follow the
destruction of the cover of the noun
tains, because in most instances the proc
ess has not yet proceeded to point to
make its effects felt
1.-THE country has accepted the principles
of forestry. 1t now demands practical
results. We can produce the results ii
the country will meet the necessar,
cost. Prussia spends 81 an acre on it's
public forests. We spend cents an acre
on ours. It is not unreasonable to expect
an increased national expenditure.
Many of our states spend nothing on
forestry. II those forests outside the
public domain are to be protected and the
from such protection, the states must as
sumo their responsibilities and carry their
share of the burden"
Address by Mrs. J. D. Wilkinson.
Following reports Of temporary commit.
tees, Mrs. J. d. Wilkinson, chairman of
the waterways committee of the General
Federation Of Woman's Clubs made an
address on the subject of arousing inter-
the great movement.
A general discussion followed.
Tomorrow officers will be nominated,
elected and installed at the morning ses-
presiding officer.
At the afternoon session F. H. Newell
will talk on 1.-THE Conservation of Water
ays."'J. N. Teal will tell OF the eonser-
walton Of natural resources. and Repre-
sentative Joseph r. Ransdell, president
of the National Rivers and Harbors Con-
gress, will also make an address.
NATIONAL RIVERS AND HAIR
BORIS CONGRESS
In
THE EVENING AND SUNDAY
STAR.
Seven Issues, 20 Cents.
| Sunday Dec to 10 1910 inclusive |