The Calumet news., 1910-10-27

existence of which have been menace
to the morals and welfare of the boys
and girls of the community.
SS>SS>S>SSr>SSSSSSSS S>cSSSSSSccSS>SSeSsS
supply is ineXhaustible. Our rainfall is
the result of such fundamentally great
causes as not to be appreciably affect
ed by the planting or cutting away of
forests. of by any of the operations of
man in changing the character of the
surface covering of the continent. The
average discharge of the Ohio River,
where / presume deforestation has
been as great as in any other part of
the country during recent time, has
not changed for a period of thirty
eight years. except as caused by preci-
pitation. on the whole. it is probable
that forests have little to do with the
height of floods in main tributaries
and principal streams. since they oc-
cur only as the result of extensive
and heavy rains, after the ground is
everywhere saturated. or when heavy
warm rains come on the top of deep
SHOWS.
"The flooding of an area, the cut
ting away of the forests. erosions, and
sanding may have either minute or ap-
preclable effects upon local climates
i'm proportion to the magnitude of the
areas affected, but this does not mean
that there is any great difference in
the climate effect between a forest
covering and one of bushes. of grass, or
of growing crops; and IL does not
signify that there is sufficient change
i'm. the thermal conditions, due to the
activities of man. as to make an APP
preciable difference in the temperature
at an altitude of one or two hundred
feet, or to affect the general climatic
conditions, or to cause storms to be
more frequent than formerly or of
greater severity. or to increase the
amount of precipitation.
Concerning Erosion.
Another effect of deforestation, that
of erosion, is of importance, but of un-
equal Importance I'm different sections.
In level countries IL makes bat little
difference i'm this particular whether
the ground is waste. cultivated. or
densely forested, while in hilly or
mountainous sections the result Is diff
ferent. When soil becomes well sod
ded with grass. erosion is little worse
| in fields than i'm the woods, but usual
ly the fields are cultivated from time
to time. and occasions come when the
best of care and cultivation cannot
prevent the formation of bad gullies
that injure both the quilted fields and
those Of the lower grounds that are
overfiowed.
/ "Of course. though, a field with an
| occasional wash yields more food ma =
| terial than the same area covered by
n forest of any kind. so that only in
exceptional cases-those in which ero-
sion would probably be unavoided and
ruinous-is this a sufficient argument
against clearing away the woods and
the planting of crops In their stead
for the time is to come when we
should not only increase the yield per
acre by wise rotation of crops on Gull
tivated ground, but clear up and seed
to wheat, corn grass, ana fruits mn
lions of acres that now lie idle under
brush and forest. In other words
every acre that will grow food for the
people and thereby reduce its cost
and furnish sustenance for our in
creasing population and the teemine
millions that are on the way to these
shores. should so be employed; the re-
mainder should grow timber that
should be protected In its growth. Man
and beast love the cooling shade. and
the eye Is pleased by the beauty of the
wooded landscape. Therefore begin
with the children and teach them tc
plant trees along the highways and
byways and on the barren spots that
will not produce food"