116 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Jan., 



The commanding effects of such stately forests must be espe- 

 cially conducive to a great moderation of our winters. Even con- 

 flicting scientists agree as to their ameliorating attractive influences, 

 tending to milder and frequent storms, while certainly they not 

 only hold a large body of warm, moist air in their embraces, with 

 their underlying soils still further saturated with unfrozen waters, 

 but a still more conspicuous feature of their mission is that they 

 prevent that extreme radiation of heat from these very protected 

 bodies of saturated air and earth, while from surfaces stripped of 

 their forest covering — the alarming, excessive opposite extreme of 

 radiation is constantly going on, and if you will only reflect upon tae 

 change of temperature from sundown to sunrise in the morning 

 during our clear nights, either in summer or winter, you can ap- 

 preciate the magnitude of the change thus wrought out in these 

 surface conditions, by the removal of this forest covering from the 

 face of the earth. 



I think Jefferson estimated the necessary, essential proportion of 

 forest areas at three-fifths of the whole surface — and a wise states- 

 manship would encourage the regaining the more healthy propor- 

 tion of the one to the other. 



I know of no better dedication of the tax from whiskey and to- 

 bacco by the general government, than to this purpose — and I 

 trust this more voluntary tax of theirs upon consumers of these 

 products, will not be abolished, until the immediate necessities of 

 the future shall become more apparent. 



I am not familiar with the more easterly parts of our state — but 

 judge we in the northwest corner, occupying as we do the con- 

 necting mountain ridges between the AUeganies and the Green 

 mountains, have better assurances of forest covering than most 

 other parts of these areas — while I am quite sure we suffer less 

 from want of showers than most other regions. I have often no- 

 ticed that we occupy the dividing line between those storms going 

 north of us and those tending on to the Atlantic below or in a 

 more southerly direction, and I find that our Meteorological Charts 

 give quite an increased rainfall to a belt of country crossing our 

 corner of the State from northeast to southwest. I know it often 

 rains from the Sound just up to us, and not extending far beyond, 

 and so from the opposite side of us. I suppose the storms lap 

 over on to our more mountainous formations from either way, 

 while they do not extend beyond. It has been my practice for 



