AKHOKRULTrUE 



port for the population which inluibited it. 

 Arboriculture points out a way l»y which 

 such disastrous results may not hr visitetl 

 upon our country. 



THE PLANTING OF TREVS 



in forests, for I'conomic reiu^ons, on the 

 streets and road.side for shade and shelter; 

 in parks antl private ^jrounds for ornament, 

 species of trees suited to various soils, alti- 

 tudes, aspects and localities, are subjects 

 pertaining to arboriculture and will be dis- 

 cussed from time to time in this journal. 



NURSK TRKKS. 



The influence of apparently unimportant 

 shrubs and plants upon the natural reaffor- 

 estation of a region with more important 

 coniferous or other trees ujion the moun- 

 tains and on the plain.s, is an important 

 study. As, for instance, the little valued 

 .scrui» oak which covers many mountain 

 slopes prepares a sj)ecial soil by collecting 

 and hoMing its fallen leaves within its clu.s- 

 ter of stem.s. Here the seed of fir, .spruce 

 and pine finds lodgment, germinates and is 

 protected from browsing animals until it 

 has outgrown its protectors and becomes 

 the mighty tree so prized by man. 



WdOI) PRKSKRVATION. 



The chemical preservation of timber, to 

 increase its durability, becomes a highly im- 

 portant subject since our forests are being 

 so ra|iidly dej)leted. The most economic 

 and effectual methods of treating timbers to 

 preser\'e them from decay, and a study of 

 the antiseptic substances which may be 

 thus used will be considered by those who 

 are able to treat this subject intelligently. 



It was well known to the earliest nations 

 of history that asphaltum, bitumen, .salt, 

 and other matt-rial would preserve wood, 

 riesh, cloth, and other substances from de- 

 cay, while mummies an<l their wrappings 

 and wofKlen caskets have lasted through 

 thirty centuries. 



r.y a proper applicati(»n of this knowledge 

 our forest proflucts may be made more 

 durable and thus avoid the waste of our 

 present methods and p«'rmit the young trees 

 to grow into mature timber. 



HOW SOIL IS MADE. 



The influence of trees and forest upon the 

 soil, how they make soil by penetrating the 

 clays and rocks with their roots, fertilize it 



wkh their annual deposit of leaves, by add- 

 ing vegetabli- mold to sand or clay, make it 

 liro(luctivr. Thus are agriculture and ar- 

 l)oriculture brought into close relation.ship. 



RIVER NAVKJATION. 



The effects of forests in the mountain re- 

 gions ujion jirecipitation and retention of 

 snow, and consequently the rapidity with 

 which water flows into the larger streams, 

 and the (piantity of water thus borne away, 

 has an important bearing upon the com- 

 merce of the larger rivers, deciding their 

 regularity of flow, their flood and low water 

 tide, and thus upon the question of eco- 

 nomic transportation, which affects the citi- 

 zens of other states far remote from the 

 mountain forests. 



AFFECTS LEVEE SYSTEM. 



It also has a most important influence 

 upon the levee .system of the alluvial lands 

 bordering upon the Father of Waters. In 

 this manner Colorado and Louisiana have a 

 community of interest which must be con- 

 sidered from an interstate point of view. 

 And for the best interests of the entire 

 nation arboriculture and arboreal influence 

 should be better understood. 



SOME gUKSTIONS OF LAW 



must be considered; the rights of the state 

 as against those of the individual to prevent 

 the absolute destruction of all forest trees 

 upon large areas. How far the individual 

 owner may go in destroying the birthright 

 of all the people and affecting the condi- 

 tions of climate is a question which must 

 ere long be decided by the highest legisla- 

 tive and judicial authorities of the land. 



THE SOURCE OF ALL IMPORTANT RIVERS 



in the United States lies in the mountain 

 regions. Most of them are dependent upon 

 the snowfall and its time of melting to in- 

 sure a navigable stage throughout the .sea- 

 son. While it is true that continuous 

 heavy rains beyond the mountain regions 

 may swell the Mi.ssissippi into a flood, or a 

 protracted drouth reduce it to an unnavi- 

 gable watercourse, yet its regularity of 

 flow and continuous navigable depth is 

 maintainecl by the mountain snow which, 

 without the protection of the forests upon 

 the headwaters of the streams, melts quickly 

 and flows away in a brief period. 



