FORESTS AND RAINFALL. 207 



civilization promotes cliastity, elevates woman, breaks down the bar- 

 riers of hate and superstition between ancient nations and religions ; 

 individual energy, the influence of one over the many, becomes less 

 and less felt, and the power of the people becomes stronger. 



Civilization in itself cannot but be beneficial to man ; that which 

 makes society more refined, more intellectual, less bestial, more cour- 

 teous ; that which, cures physical and mental diseases, increases the 

 comforts and luxury of life, purifies religions, makes juster govern- 

 ments, must surely be beneficial ; it is the universal principle of evil 

 which impregnates all human afiliirs, alloying even current coin, which 

 raises the question. That there are evils attending civilization as all 

 other benefits, none can deny, but civilization itself is no evil. 



-- 



T 



FORESTS AND EAINFALL.' 



HE question of the influence of forests on the hydrology of a 

 -J- region is one that has been warmly discussed. Some men of 

 science, Becquerel for example, hold that forests increase the amount 

 of water received by the soil ; while others. Marshal Vaillant among 

 them, assert that forests diminish the quantity. Some savans, such as 

 M. Mathieu, sub-director of the Nancy School of Forestry, have en- 

 deavored, by way experiment, to get together such facts as might, if 

 they did not set the question at rest, at least clear up some points and 

 supply a portion of the experimental data needed for a full explana- 

 tion at some future time. M. Mathieu undertook to " determine the 

 amount of rain-water received by the soils of two neighboring dis- 

 tricts, one of them covered with timber and the other arable land ; and 

 to find out whether, in consequence of the covering of trees which 

 intercepts the rain-water, the soil of the woodland is as abundantly 

 watered as that of the open." His conclusion is, that timbered soils 

 receive as much, and more, rain-water than the open country. 



These expei-iments are of great importance ; the results obtained 

 are noteworthy, and, taken in connection with Becquerel's observa- 

 tions, seem to be decisive of the question. Still, in order to meet an 

 objection that might be raised against this mode of experimenting, viz., 

 the difficulty of finding two districts near to one another and fairly 

 comparable, we have made experiments from another point of view, 

 which confirm those made by M. Mathieu. 



No matter how you select two neighboring districts, it is not easy 

 to prove that they are absolutely comparable to one another. The 

 amount of rainfall may be seriously aflfected by the altitude, and par- 

 ticularly the relative altitude ; by the situation of the district ; by the 

 relief and configuration of the land in the surrounding countiy; and 



' Translation of a communication to the French Academy of Sciences, hv L. Faiitiat 

 and A. Sartiaux. 



