The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1910-06-02
CONSERVE MOISTURE.

perior, that trees, some of them great
oaks, died from the effects Of it, The
same seasons some beautiful oaks and
other trees died from drouth at Wau
kesha. Wis. and other beautiful re-
sorts, although Lake Michigan showed
through many of the dead branches.
For two years running, and again
this season, the drouth in upper Mi,hi-
gan, Wisconsin and extreme northeast
ern Minnesota has been so great that
fires have swept large areas. and at
this writing. May 16. are still raging.
Steamboats, on Lake Superior can hard
ly see to navigate for the smoke from
burning forests along its shores. These
fires are particularly bad, burning off
the very soil, in some parts OF the
Rainy Lakes districts, where nearly
half the surface of the country is water
and the remainder dense evergI Ger
forests.
But, say many who still cling to the
hope and belief that few set out trees
and artesian lakes will cause more
rainfall and consequent moisture, If
that is the case, why is there far less
loss from dryness and less signs Of
it, as a rule, in lake and timbered Sec
tions?
We do not know, but we believe, that
protected areas, particularly where
more or less open water surface
abounds are less affected by wind ard
evaporation. There is more evapord-
tion in an hour on the treeless wind
swept dry plains of the far west than
in tree protected places for a week.
Again green surfaces and lakes and
streams tend to load even hot winds
with a degree of moisture, and they
cannot take so much moisture out of
the soil they pass over. The effect CT
great cool surfaces is to prevent evap-
Grafton and to temper the hot drying
winds For this reason every field of
green growing grain, especially corn.
which is always cool, has the same eff
feet as forests in tempering the wind,
and thus tending to conserve moisture.
We believe that all these things have
much more to do with improved agri-
cultural conditions on the once great
hot arid plains than any change Of
season or increase Of rainfall.
Look at it from whatever point we
will, our only hope is to conserve the
moisture we have; there is no way on
earth we can increase it. Surface till
age prevents evaporation. more hu-
mus in the soil adds to it's sponge quail
| tiles and consequent ability to hold
moisture. Shaded with green crops
and subsoiled by deep going plowa
clover or alfalfa roots, a roomier res
ervoir for accommodating moisture win
| be at our disposal, and less evapora-
ton will draw from it,
| Winds will ever be the worst enemy
| of a dry country. and as we cannot
stop them, nor plant forests enough TO
protect our land from them, we can
only hope to hide our moisture from
them, and soften their burning dry
ness by causing them to pass over
green. cool surfaces as much as pos
sible in place of parched, burned prai-
ries. Every acre broken should be
properly titled and cropped.
IA oh. where's that wandering com
cts tail tonight?
az Remember the state fair dates in
IFargo-July 2O-25.
I
surprise that Hoke Smith declined to
irun for office.
EB' Twins with teeth were born In
Chicago. They evidently expected tc
find some tough steak.
ES Missouri manufactured $4,000, 0O(
corn cob pipes last year and the most
of them seem to have been sold in
Fargo.
EE Why not have mail boxes attach.
ed to the street cars and have coilec.
tions made at stated intervals? I
would expedite mailing letters from
the outskirts Of the city and the stree