FORESTS AND RAINFALL. 151 



to save that eight thousand a year they cleclinecl, or at any 

 rate, failed, to do anything. Thousands and millions of dol- 

 lars were at that time squandered for the support of men 

 \vho were doing nothing. 



Now, gentlemen, you can do, every one of you, a great 

 deal about this. I say you can not only render your farms 

 more pleasant and more healthy, but you can render them 

 more valuable. If anybod}'' wants to know how to manage 

 the forest-trees, I can give him suggestions. If there is any 

 question that any gentlemen would like to have answered, I 

 shall be glad, as far as I can, to answer it. 



Question. I should like to ask if we have had less rain 

 since the forests were cut down ? I have seen statistics of the 

 rainfall in the last two years, and if I recollect right, it was 

 stated that, in two storms last year, more water fell than 

 during the whole year before. Out in California, where they 

 formerly had no rain, since they have been cutting down those 

 large trees, they are beginning to have rains. 



Mr. Emerson. Some of those facts are overstated ; but 

 I have no doubt that, in a period of twenty years, about the 

 same amount of rain falls, whatever the condition of the 

 forests. But here is the question : Will you let that rain 

 pass off and fall into the sea, or upon the plains, or will 

 you arrest some of it, and make it fall upon your land? 

 This you can do by preserving the trees that still remain, and 

 planting others where they have been cut ofi'. Trees are 

 electrical ; they draw off the electricity, and they bring down 

 a portion of the rain. They stop the clouds that are going 

 over, and make them discharge a portion of their water. I 

 believe that the gentleman is right in saying that there is 

 as much rain in a series of years, in the same section of 

 country, irrespective of the forests; but this I am sure of, 

 that you may stop some of it, if you take pains to do so, and 

 make it produce a good effect. 



Question. I should like to ask whether you consider it 

 healthy to have trees so near a dwelling-house that they 

 shade it? 



Mr. Emerson. I am very glad that you have asked me 

 that question. That is a very important subject. I say that 



