Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1911-01-14
Pine TREES
ARE SAID TO
BE DYING
Small Rainfall Of Three Years
Given As Cause.
Underground Streams Feeding Their
Tap Roots Have Dried Up and the
Trees Suffered From Lack Of MOiS-
tuFe---COnditiOnS Serious.

nv the turpentine operators. Mr. g.
B. Williams, of this city, whose SOU
briouet, "The Turpentine King, IN
dicates the extent to which he is in
terested in turpentine operations m
this section, in an interview, spoke OF
the remarkable and unprecedented
conditions prevailing throughout
Southwest Georgia.
So great is the scarcity OF mois'
tnre brought about by three success
sive dry winters, to say nothing oil
dry summers, that young pine sap
pings, and even pine trees large
enough to square - inches, are dy-
ing. Oak trees are also dying. This
is a condition that has never prevail
ed here before.
Mr.. Williams explains the fact Of
diving pine and oak trees in this
manner: The tap roots of these trees
penetrate the earth to considerable
depth, and draw their moisture from
water that under ordinary conditions
is found deep below the surface in
unfailing supply For the past three
years, however, unusual meteorologi-
cal conditions have prevailed and
that source of moisture has, in many
places, been exhausted. The rains
that have visited the section have
been enough to furnish growing crops
with moisture, as they have roots
that penetrate but a very little dis
lance beneath the soil, but have not
been sufficient to replenish the deeper
subterranean streams that supply the
oak and pine trees.
There are other conditions that
contribute to this drying up of the
subterranean streams of moisture.
Some say it is the digging of so many
artesian wells in this section that is
causing trouble, but anyone acquaint-
ed with the source from which arte-
sian wells obtain their supply of wa
ter will know that this is not true.
Artesian water, to rise to the top of z
well from a distance of 700 to 400
feet, to which depth these wells are
dug in this section must come from
some source that is higher than the
| top of these wells The source Of
artesian water, as is well known to
science, is in the mountains. Arte-
sian water in this section comes from
the hills of North Georgia, the Blue
Ridge mountains, and the highlands
of that section of the country. There
| fore, the digging of aFtesian wells
can have nothing to do with the dry
ing up of the ponds, lakes, swamps
and streams in Southwest Georgia
which has been gradually going on
for the past several years.
An instance of the remarkable eX-
tent to which this 'drying-up" pro-
cess has progressed is afforded in the
passing away of a large body of wa
ter in Dougherty county known as
ALLIGATOR Pond" This big pond, or
! lake, formerly-that is to say, five or
six years ago-covered 200 or more
acres. 1t was a famous place for
hunters seeking ducks and other
game. 1t has dried up, and instead of
Doggy swamp, corn fields are growing
in the dry bed of the pond, and all
that is left of it is a small mud pud-
die. This describes the conditions
prevailing all over this section All
the ponds are dried up, and instead
of wet, swampy section, this is more
like the dry prairie lands of the mid
die west. There is plenty of precip-
itation for the successful raising of
all kinds of surface crops, but for
some not thoroughly explained reason
the water does not remain, as it for
.merly did, in the ponds and subter-
ranean sources from which the pines
and oaks obtain their supply of mois-
ture
Deforestation possibly-nay, better
say probably-has much to do with
this condition The lime sinks of this
country also indicate a condition that
would seem to lend itself to the car
rying away of the water supply. The
annual precipitation has diminished
perceptibly, but still only slightly,
and this would not seem to explain
the drying up of all the natural res
ervoirs in this section.
The fact which would seem to bear
out Mr. Williams argument that the
water reservoirs which supply the
pine trees with moisture are failing
is the fact of dry wells throughout
this section Wells dug to the stratum
from which pine trees obtain their
moisture are dry. Deep driven wells
still have plenty of water. and arto-
sian wells, which are still deeper and
tap the subterranean streams that
flow fro mthe mountains, are flowing
with the same full, health giving flow
of old
The ran We have just had was more
like the winter rains that formerly
visited this section often during the
winter season. But it was not enough
to overcome the conditions complain
ed Of by the turpentine operators.
They would like to see a rain like
that continue for several days with
out stop, or even for several weeks,
so that the riches that are brought to
the surface through the sap-veins OIL
the pines will not cease entirely 20
flow