S6 



ARBORICULTURE 



FROM PRETORIA, SOUTH 

 AFRICA. 



Engineer's Department. 

 /. P. Brown, Esq., International Society 



of Arboriculture: 



Dear Sir : — I am trying to collect evi- 

 dence as to the effect of tree-planting 

 in causing or increasing the permanency 

 of springs, and I should be extremely 

 obliged if you could, in the interest of 

 science, let me have some information on 

 the subject. 



I have a large collection of statistics 

 on the effect of deforestation, but prac- 

 tically no positive facts on the effects of 

 afforestation. 



(Signed) C D. H. Braine, 



Assoc. M. Inst. C. E. 



just begun, only four or five years since 

 the first plantings. Hence there will be 

 no evidence of any value upon this sub- 

 ject from North America for many years. 

 Very respectfully, John P. Brown. 



RHODE ISLAND FORESTS. 



"What would be the adaptability of 

 Catalpa speciosa and white pine for the 

 sandy and somewhat denuded and aban- 

 doned lands of West Greenwich and Exe- 

 ter, in this State? J- Q- B." 



REPI.Y, 



Mr. C. Dimond H. Braine: 



Dear Sir: — I am in receipt of your 

 letter of inquiry, dated November 14, in 

 regard to the effect of tree-planting upon 

 water supply. 



You are probably aware that the United 

 States has been a nation of forest destroy- 

 ers, and have not, until very recently, 

 commenced to plant trees. 



It is not likely that one single tree has 

 been planted in the North American 

 Continent for each million of trees re- 

 moved until within four years past, and 

 no results can be expected from the trees 

 now being planted for a quarter of a cen- 

 tury, on account of the small number 

 planted proportioned to the great extent 

 of country and the much larger quantity 

 of timber removed. 



The International Society of Arbori- 

 culture has secured the cooperation of 

 many of the railway systems and larger 

 land owners, and is now planting several 

 millions of trees, but the work has only 



reply. 



Arboriculture has endeavored to 

 place before the world all possible infor- 

 mation in regard to economic forestry. 

 Several times the editor has been called 

 to New England to confer with your citi- 

 zens, and has addressed large audiences 

 in Massachusetts, Maine and New Hamp- 

 shire, and has repeatedly urged the plant- 

 ing of white pine, walnut and Catalpa 

 speciosa to improve the character of your 

 wooded tracts. 



Timber growth in Rhode Island should 

 be as good in the twentieth century as it 

 was in the sixteenth, when all of New 

 England was a dense wilderness of im- 

 mense trees. 



The planting of these larger growth 

 trees in your State will have a similar 

 effect in this direction as the introduction 

 of improved blooded stock has had upon 

 the animal industries. 



Sandy soils, where there is a gener- 

 ous rainfall, produce excellent timber 

 growths, and all the trees named will 

 thrive on the lands of Exeter and Green- 

 wich. All these trees are of magnificent 

 proportions, often reaching one hundred 

 and fifty feet in height, with a diameter 

 of four to seven feet, while the dwarf- 

 growing birch, dwarf oak and scarlet 

 maple are of small stature. 



