174 



ARBORICULTURE 



The Nashville American 



September 9, 1906 



PRACTICAL ARBORICULTURE 

 BY JOHN P. BROWN, C. E., CONNERSVILLE, XND. 



This is an extremely important book on an 

 extremely important subject, issued at a very 

 opportune time. The purpose of the book is to 

 show in how many serious ways the welfare of 

 the entire country has been adversely affected by 

 the wholesale cutting of timber in all parts of the 

 country, and how little effort, of an organized kind, 

 has been or is being made to restore it. No one 

 can read the book without feeling that the author 

 has the well-being of his country at heart, and 

 that, in a very patriotic way, he wishes to arouse 

 his countrymen to the necessity of taking neces- 

 sary steps to stop the waste and to begin to recover 

 as far as possible, the wealth which these destroyed 

 forests, in so many ways, represented. His mes- 

 sage reads somewhat like the warning of one of 

 the prophets of the olden times; in fact, the author 

 says that the inhabitants in and around Tyre and 

 Sidon may be said, by the cutting of the timber 

 of their country to have brought upon themselves 

 the fulfillment of the prophecy hurled against 

 them, because the utter destruction of the timber 

 of that region resulted in rendering the land, 

 theretofore very productive, incapable of support- 

 ing them, and made its practical abandonment a 

 necessary thing. 



When we come to consider nature's purpose in 

 putting trees on the earth and then realize that we 

 have ruthlessly ignored these, we have little ground 

 for sympathy. Only within the last generation 

 has it become fully apparent what changes the 

 devastation of forests brings about. Now, the 

 inconvenience, not to say suffering, which is being 

 undergone, is arousing us somewhat to the evils 

 we are inflicting upon ourselves, and bringing 

 sharply to our attention the urgent necessity of at 

 once putting on foot, not only well considered 

 legislative plans for pursuing a better course, but 

 awakening individuals also to the good sense of 

 doing what they individually can to stem, if not to 

 turn the evil tide. Think for a moment what 

 some of the purposes of trees are; they have an 

 influence in controlling moisture from above and 

 a very decided power to retain this moisture for 

 the productivity of the soil. The leaves of trees, 

 by absorption, hold the water and prevent it, to a 

 certain extent, from rushing, all at once, into the 

 streams coursing through our valleys. These 

 leaves also in decay enrich the soil and render it 

 what nature intended it to be — the productive 

 means for man's support. 



"The tree sucks kindlier nourishment 



From a soil enriched by its own fallen leaves." 



When these vast forests are cut away, the 

 water rushes headlong over the bare ground to 

 the streams and causes these to overflow their 

 banks and inflict untold damage on the country at 

 large. Not only this, but there being no leaves to 

 retain the moisture, severe drouths follow and 

 these streams at one time flow out of their banks 

 and at another cease to supply water enough to 

 render them navigable or otherwise as serviceable 



as nature intended them to be. The soil not 

 being protected by the leaves is washed away, 

 and the bare rocks, or hard clay, neither of much 

 value, alone is left. 



Illustrations of these evils are easily found 

 throughout older parts of the country. It is not 

 an unusual thing to read that the mills of the 

 New England States are at one time submerged 

 and at another without sufficient water to enable 

 them to run. Such was not the case before the 

 vast forests of New England were cut away. 

 Aside from the evils inflicted on the land, the 

 serious question is beginning to present itself as 

 to what will be done in decades to come when 

 the timber of the country is practically exhausted. 

 Already things formerly made of wood are now 

 being made of iron because of inability to get 

 wood, but the reckless use of iron and steel equals 

 that of wood, and there is no telling how long this 

 substitute can be depended upon, because thought- 

 tul persons are also beginning to figure on the 

 reserve supply of ore. When we reflect how 

 very short a span a generation is in the course of 

 a nation's life, and then have to admit that a 

 shortage is beginning to make itself felt in articles 

 as necessary as are wood and iron to the well- 

 being of mankind, is it not about time legislators 

 of the Nation and States, who profess to be look- 

 ing after the material welfare of the people, 

 should, with vigorous, strong hands, take hold and 

 formulate some plan whereby ruthlessdestruction, 

 at the hands of man, at least, may be stopped? 



It is apparent that the prosperity of this country 

 is dependent upon railroads to transport the 

 people and crops of one section to those of the 

 other and give to everyone the comforts of life. 

 No satisfactory substitute for wood for railroad 

 ties has yet been found. The number of these 

 alone required each year involves an enormous 

 consumption of timber. Some of these railroads 

 are already beginning to appreciate how serious a 

 problem a shortage of timber will present to them 

 and are endeavoring to find out what trees can be 

 planted which will furnish as soon as it will be 

 needed tiniber suitable for making ties. This 

 book describes the length of time required by 

 trees of all kinds to replace themselves, and gives 

 excellent advice along these lines. 



It has been demonstrated that the catalpa 

 speciosa, a tree well suited for the purpose, will 

 grow more quickly to the necessary size than any 

 other tree. This tree-growing is practically anew 

 business. If owners of lands in the South will 

 begin they will soon find that it will become a 

 paying business. 



In a review of this kind, it is almost impossible 

 to cover all that should be said, but 



IF EVERY CONGRESSMAN WILL READ THIS BOOK 

 AND QUIETLY CONSIDER THE FACTS SET FORTH 

 AND RESOLVE TO GIVE THE SUBJECT SERIOUS 

 THOUGHT IN FORMULATING SOME GENERAL 

 PLAN, FREE OF ANY POLITICS WHATEVER. 

 WHEREBY THIS GREAT SOURCE OF WEALTH 

 CAN BE HUSBANDED, MUCH GOOD WILL HAVE 

 BEEN ACCOMPLISHED. THE BOOK IS BEAUTI- 

 FULLY ILLUSTRATED AND ASIDE FROM THE 

 INSTRUCTION IT GIVES, WILL BE FOUND TO 

 BE MOST ENTERTAINING. 



