The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1910-01-16
ITS IMPORTANCE CAN NOT BE
MINIMIZED.
MRS. AYERYS' ADDRESS
Perpetuating the Timber Resources
Delivered at the Annual Meeting of
the Louisiana Forestry Association
Held at Minden, La, Jan. q, 1910

IutdiG CSS VI Ldiid HI tIic OiltS'
States,' the resources Of our country
are treated under the three divisions ot
water, minerals and land. The first j,
inexhaustible, the second exhaustibl,
and can not be renewed, while the last
although exhaustible can under moderr
methods be again made productive ever
far beyond its native capacity.
1t is of the first Importance that wa
ter, our inexhaustible resource, should
nevertheless be most carefully con.
served to the benefit of the public and
not under any pretense pass into the
hands of monopolists for private gain
Of all the uses to which water is put
domestic purposes stand first in i'm
portance as upon the purity of the water
supply depends the health of city and
nation. Right here is broad field for
investigation and legislation against the
pollution of our streams, lakes and
reservoirs. No water required for such
purpose should be diverted to CONNER
cial uses.
The problem of water power and wa
ter transportation are often intefdepend-
ent and the right use of water power
should act as a check on the fuctuation
of stram volume and thus make naviga-
tirn safer and steadier.
OF minerals, such as gas, oil, coal
and ron, the supply is indeed being
used rapidly and freely. Still worse
this source Of our national wealth is
being wasted even more rapidly and
freely Once gone they can not be re-
stored. DIR. |. C. White, State geolo-
gist of West Virginia. claims that over
one billion cubic feet of natural gas is
wasted daily. Mr.. Andrew Carnegie
says that tof all the coal burned in the
power plants of the country not more
than to 10 per cent of potential energy
is actually used. The remaining 90 to
o5 per cent is absorbed in rendering the
smaller fraction available in actual
work"
What shall we say of the waste of
human life such as has recently oc-
Cured in the Cherry mine disaster
More men are killed or crippled in
mining in the United States than in any
other nation on earth, says Mr. John
Mitchell All of this is preventab1e and
should be prevented. Human greed
must be controlled by wise and severe
restraints rigidly imposed, always en-
forced, for with men as with children,
they respect only the laws whose pen
alties are not to be escaped.
Our third and most hopeful resource
is the land Authorities say that it
takes 10000 years for one foot of till
able soil to form. Yet no resource is
being more rapidly wasted and de
stroyed than the soil By single crop
ping and scanty fertilization the soil is
exhausted By failure to protect our
soils from washing we lose yearly one
millions tons of richest loan carried off
into the sea. Stripping the hillsides of
forests we leave the slopes exposed to
erosion and the bottoms to be buried
under the sterile silt brought down by
the floods. Still as we have already said
the situation is not without hope. It is
on the land that we can best expend our
energies and get quickest and surest
returns.
It is estimated that in fifty years our
population will reach 100000 This
great increase must be cared for on the
land of our country, homes must be
provided, food produced and sufficient
timber supplied for all purposes OF
home and factory. The welfare of the
nation depends upon the most economi-
cal use of every resource at our com
mand. It depends upon the scientific use
of every acre of land within the bounds
of our country Land fit for agriculture
must be cleared Of forest, if covered by
them irrigated if dry drained il
swampy, and put to its proper use.
Grazing can only prohtably be carried
on where the land, through lack Of
moisture and other conditions, can mot
be used for production Mountains, hill
sides and regions fit for neither agricul-
tire nor grazing will. If carefully ham
died, supply our country with protection
to its water sources by sustaining mag
fli6eeft forests If put under the care
OF forestry experts, these lands will also
produce enough timber ID satisfy all ac-
ttial needs Of the estimated population.
They will keep tie mills working, thus
supplying occupation and a livelihood to
large portion Of The people.
Protective forests are being provid-