554 TRANSACTIONS OF THE 



become enlightened and prosperous. Without such distribution of pur- 

 suits little wealth could be accumulated by nations or individuals. The 

 poorest man in this neighborhood is rich compared with what he would 

 be if he could own one hundred square miles of land and live on it alone 

 with his family, cut off from all privileges of society and barter, and hav- 

 ing only what he could produce and manufacture with his own hands. 

 Such a man could only produce the bare necessities of life. His food 

 must be the spontaneous products of the soil and the spoils of the chase, 

 his clothing must be the skins of wild animals, his shelter a rude hut, and 

 his only beverage water. But as the productions of the soil are increased, 

 a minute division of labor is made possible, and society takes on that com- 

 plexity of organization which characterizes a high state of civilization. 



Again, in no other pursuit does man stamp so deeply upon the works of 

 God his image and superscription as in this. He modifies the climate in 

 all lands. The increase or diminution of vegetation has a large influence 

 on climate. Removing forests decreases the rainfall in a given region, and 

 planting trees increases it. In former times Europe was much colder than 

 at present. In the fifteenth century the waters of Italy were much colder 

 than now; and the Seine in France and other rivers in that latitude were 

 frozen in winter, while the Thames froze so thick that the inhabitants 

 crossed in wagons from London to Southwark, and oxen were roasted 

 whole on the ice. The clearing of the forests increases the dryness of the 

 air and raises the temperature. Regions of Asia and Northern Africa, 

 which in ancient times were the granaries of Europe, fertile and populous, 

 were made deserts by the clearing of the forests. On the other hand, in 

 parts of Scotland and Southern France the climate has been modified, 

 and the droughts effectually prevented by the planting of forests. In 

 parts of lower Egypt rain was formerly unknown. But vast plantations 

 have been planted and started by irrigation covering many square miles, 

 and copious rains are the result. 



Again, the farmer modifies the climate by draining swamps and morasses, 

 and reclaiming tule and other waste lands. Intermittent fevers have dis- 

 appeared from England, chiefly no doubt in consequence of the high cul- 

 tivation and careful drainage of the land, while two hundred years ago 

 they were as prevalent in England as in any of our fever and ague regions 

 in the West. Cromwell, Milton, and Bunyan died of intermittent fever 

 and blood-letting, as did our own Washington. Fever and ague lingered 

 in the fens of Lincolnshire until the commencement of this century, but 

 they have been drained, and that type of disease is now unknown in En- 

 gland. Hence the farmer and not " Old Probabilities," is the true clerk of 

 the weather. When he plants a tree for fruit, timber, shade, or decora- 

 tion, he creates the atmosphere in which he and his family are to live. 

 And while he by underdraining reduces otherwise useless soils to fertility 

 and fruitfulness. he banishes disease and prolongs the life of himself and 

 his neighbors. Thorough cultivation, drainage, and decoration mean more 

 than dollars and cents; they mean health of body and refinement of mind 

 as well. It is the Divine order that utility and beauty should go hand in 

 hand. The earth, like the human countenance, has its expressions. There 

 is upon it the wild and untamed luxuriance of nature, or the softness and 

 elegance of culture. Now its countenance is gloomy, savage, and terrific; 

 and now it is mild, ethereal, and lovely. This face and aspect of nature 

 it is the high prerogative of man to change. Her features are molded 

 into lines of softness and beauty by the plastic hand of toil. 



Again agriculture lies at the foundation of all civilization. There can 

 be no wealth, no art, no education otherwise, and so the mercury rises in 



