ARBORICULTURE 



211 



The Engineering News continues : 



"Briefly stated, the fact is that forests 

 do not increase rainfall, and while they 

 distribute the rnnofif from a given area 

 over a somewhat longer period than 

 would be occupied if the same area were 

 cleared land, this conservation of the 

 flow is chiefly of importance in increas- 

 ing the low water flow and not in dimin- 

 ishing flood heights. Further, this effect 

 is of practical importance only on small 

 streams. In the case of large rivers it is 

 too trivial to be noticeable. This is not 

 mere theory, but actual fact, established 

 by multitudes of observations. The 

 floods of the Ohio and the Mississippi 

 appear from historical records to have 

 been as great when the forests on their 

 headwaters were practically untouched 

 by the axe as they are at the present day. 

 It is true that the recorded flood heights 

 of the lower Mississippi have increased 

 with each great flood for several years ; 

 but this is due to the fact that the river is 

 now confined to its channel by levees in- 

 stead of being permitted to spread over 

 the entire width of the bottom lands." 



On page 82, Arboriculture, for De- 

 cember, Evidences of Climatic Change, 

 is given an historical analysis from 

 sacred and profane writings and events 

 covering more than thirty centuries. 

 Forest influences during that period have 

 changed a most fertile agricultural re- 

 gion, supporting a population of ten mil- 

 lions souls, into a desert incapable of 

 feeding a handful of wandering tribes. 



Rivers, brooks, springs and rainfall 

 have ceased to exist in this historic lo- 

 cality, because of forest destruction. 



Innumerable instances have occurred 

 in Europe and Asia where following the 

 removal of forests from mountain ranges, 

 there have come reduced and irregular 

 rainfall and agricultural declension. 

 There were no records kept of rise and 

 fall of Ohio until i860. Yet upon only 

 forty years of observation in the Ohio 

 valley scientists affirm that forests have 

 no influence upon rainfall. 



Our esteemed cotemporary reaffirms 

 "this old fallacy," which certain scientists 

 in employ of the United States govern- 

 ment have promulgated, without produc- 

 ing any evidence, and would sweep away 



with a breath sturdy facts proven by 

 Biblical authority, endorsed by Josephus 

 Flavins, affirmed by Menander nine hun- 

 dred years B. C. Galileo, Newton, Kep- 

 ler and Columbus had scientists in their 

 day whose obstinacy and false doctrines 

 prevented them from understanding very 

 plain laws of nature. 



The earth was flat in those days, and 

 rested upon a pile of stones. Gravitation 

 did not exist. The earth was the center 

 of the universe — with these scientists. 



Rain, cloud movement, electric cur- 

 rents, winds, have laws which man has 

 not yet solved. The human voice is car- 

 ried a thousand miles through a copper 

 wire upon an electric spark. How? Let 

 the man answer who can prove that for- 

 ests have no efifect upon rainfall. The 

 people want something beyond a mere 

 assertion. 



The effect of extensive irrigation and 

 conservation of water in great reservoirs, 

 together with a renewal of the forests 

 upon the mountain range of the now 

 arid regions, must be to greatly increase 

 the evaporation of water from all these 

 sources, cause its return to the earth by 

 precipitation as rain and to hold within 

 the now arid belt very much more mois- 

 ture than has heretofore been the case, 

 while the water flowed rapidly away. 



Heretofore the rain and snow which 

 fell in the central western states was all 

 evaporated from the Pacific Ocean, tra- 

 versed a third of the continent, had a 

 majority of its bulk squeezed out upon 

 the Sierras and the residue was given 

 to this semi-arid territory. 



If in form of rain it soon found its 

 way back to one of the oceans, or if as 

 snow it was but the question of a few 

 warm days in June, when it pursued the 

 same course. 



The cultivation of extensive areas un- 

 der irrigation will cause most of this 

 water to continue the circuit — evaporate, 

 precipitate and water the earth anew. 



Instead of running off to increase the 

 Mississippi floods, it will be utilized in the 

 production of crops to support the in- 

 creasing population of these rapidly 

 growing states and be exported, thus in- 

 creasing our revenues and national 

 wealth. 



