The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1913-04-06
MYSTERY OF THE rRrsHrTs.

Conservation Of natural resources IS a sound
snn Wise principle and should guide the coun
trvss course. The application of definite methods
for maintaining our timber supply and keeping
Che Forests is necessary as matter Of foresight
ard policy IF political economy. It IS very
dountful however, whether the widely taught
and generally accepted theory that the clearing
away of the forests causes the eccentricites Of
cur weather is true, At first thought it seems
plausible that the killing Of the trees takes
frem the ground the restraining Influence Of
ronfs. leaving the rain IS 1t falls to rush I'm
chstructed into the streams. The scientists never
hare connected up quite clearly the influence
OF foliage on clouds and rainfall. but they in
sist that the loss of trees causes both our
droughts and our freshets.
Yet the facts seem to he that there were
droughta and freshets in this land before the
white man came or the slaughter of trees began,
When Captain John Smith first assembled James
river TO the falls where Richmond is he was
shown by the Indians high water mark of
spring freshets, which seems to have been nearly
to the notch of our most disastrous foods Of
modern times-only there were no bridges to
be inperiled or buildings to be undermined and
nobody was disturbed All the Indians had to
do was to move their teppecs few feet up hill
ard watch the yellow pillows roll tossing by.
Flnvanna was undiscovered and unknown and
the upper reaches of the river in Botetourt and
Roanoke were in vastly mysterious and awe
some expanses of silent forest The Indians
had been taught by experience to pray to the
Great Spirit especially TO spare them from the
disaster of drought Nature as eapricious
sometimes as cruel at other times boun-
tifuI, beautiful and kindly, then as now. 1t is
true. further, that when original growth trees
are cut away in this section at least, they arc
replaced quickly by spontaneous upspringlng
Of thckets Of pine and pin oak saplngs-sto
and gallant little volunteers, useless CONNER
cialiy, but doing their full part to supply the
moisture holding roots and water absorbing
leaves the. scientists say are natures for
controlling the water supply
1t is probable that we win learn, after a
while that our disasters and discomforts OF
freshet. drought, untimely warmth treacherously
wooing fruit and flower to death, unseemly cold,
cyclones and destroying winds originate outtat
Sea In the Gulf stream. far OFT IN the mYs&eri~
ous and ice encircIed Arctic or high up space,
above the clouds, where we never have been
able TO go and investigate We are surrounded
by bitter chill. South and North, at the Arctic
and the Antarctic whence the deadly icebergs
float to destroy us; and but couple of miles
In the air above us where aviator scars
now and then, returning shivering and ex-
hausted. a mile or two below is perpetual
and intense heat, the cause Of which know
very vaguely and the intensity Of which we
guess at. Combinations and unseen conflicts
of these powers may bring ruin. Deforestation
III suicidal considering our hopes for the future
and our posterity. There is satisfactory
or finally authentic authority for accepting it
as explaining downpour Of three inches Of
rain over the vast and varied territory of twenty
States and the resulting tumult and riot Of the
rivers we thought we had harnessed securely.
bridged confined and docile-which we treated
as our creatures and suddenly assert themselves
orr eruel. killing and destroying masters.