ARBORICULTURE 



■:)D 



strued by modern philosophy, explain the 

 contrary conditions existing in the 

 Orient to-day with that of B. C. i,ooo, 

 or even A. D'. lOO. No more do they 

 interpret the causes of America's arid 

 belt or its encroachment upon the fertile 

 country. 



Aleteorology details the thermal 

 changes of the atmosphere and their in- 

 fluences upon air currents, moisture and 

 precipitation, but meteorology does not 

 explain why a country which once pro- 

 duced such massive trees should now 

 be so barren^ or why a province that once 

 had abundant rains should be so arid. 



]\Iathematics has no data upon which 

 to predicate a theorem and is thus una- 

 ble to enlighten us when this change oc- 

 curred. 



Geology makes mention of fossils and 

 petrifactions which are found in various 

 parts of the earth, and in different geo- 

 logical periods ; it presumes that indefin- 

 ite ages have elapsed since certain 

 changes occurred, but geology does not 

 explain why these trees once thrived in 

 a region which will produce them no 

 more. 



Botany gives the distribution of plants 

 upon the globe, relates with minuteness 

 those plants which exist in an arid cli- 

 mate, yet botany has never attempted to 

 explain why the Sequoia grows upon the 

 highest Sierras and nowhere else in the 

 world, while undoubtedly it did thrive in 

 the Rocky mountains in former times. 



There is no rule of science which can 

 satisfactorily account for the change 

 which has taken place in climate since 

 these trees grew. Nor yet how long 

 since the change occurred. 



Speculation fails to elucidate the prob- 

 lem and only tells us that the Sierre Ne- 

 vada Mountains squeeze the moisture out 

 of the passing clouds before they reach 

 the desert. \\'as it always so? Was 

 this natural law in force when the 

 mighty Cedars and Sequoias were grow- 

 ing in the Rocky Mountains ? 



In the Orient, so long as the forests 

 remained upon the higher elevations, the 

 rain belt extended inland more than one 

 hundred miles, but as the mountains 

 were cleared of their trees, the desert en- 

 .croached upon the fertile lands, gradu- 



ally but surely, until all the land became 

 arid. 



So the rainless plains of the United 

 States have obtruded their aridity by 

 slow degrees, as extensive' forests were 

 destroyed by fires, by ice and by man, 

 until the Pacific has been reached 

 throughout the greater part of Califor- 

 nia. 



The logical conclusion must be that 

 forest covered elevations controlled the 

 distribution of moisture through the at- 

 mosphere and abundant rains prevailed; 

 but with the removal of these bodies of 

 timber their influence was lost and 

 aridity was the consequence. 



When we reflect upon the vast area 

 and density of American forests which 

 existed only a century ago, and the terri- 

 ble destruction of wooded lands, by for- 

 est fires as well as bv the ax. and see the 

 extreme carelessness of Americans in 

 setting fires and in permitting them to 

 destroy these forests with no efifort 

 toward prevention, by either state or na- 

 tional government and consider that 

 greater destruction of forests have oc- 

 curred in the Occident during the Nine- 

 teenth Century than in the Orient 

 throughout the thirty centuries, preced- 



ing. 



We well may contemplate upon the fu- 

 ture of this land as more rapid climatic 

 changes shall occur from this excessive 

 denundation. It is of great importance 

 that this nation should make earnest ef- 

 forts to check such wastefulness and 

 commence a thorough system of aft'ores- 

 tation throughout the entire country. 



The soils of all the semi-arid and arid 

 lands contain every element of fertility, 

 only v.'anting water to make them as pro- 

 ductive as the most favored lands of the 

 earth, and to support the population 

 which America will have but a few 

 decades hence, every effort should be 

 made by state and nation to promote an 

 increased rainfall in localities where 

 moisture is insufficient. 



We of the Occident have received 

 from the Creator "a goodly land, a land 

 flowing with milk and honey," and have 

 been most extravagantly wasteful of our 

 heritage. It is full time we were caring 

 for the future of this land, if we possess 

 true patriotism, not that which bubbles 



