i88s.] 



AND HORTICULTURIST. 



307 



They had a grand church, built also by their own 

 hands, under the direction of their good mission- 

 ary ; a very beautiful building, and which was 

 built wholly of Thuja gigantea. The odor from 

 the wood reminded one of the incense-flooded 

 cathedrals of Catholic Europe. Unfortunately it 

 rained in torrents, and it was not possible to do 

 much botanizing around that spot ; but all the 

 trees seen were of Thuja gigantea. 



At Killisnow Island in Alaska, the Reverend 

 Mr. Hill, a Presbyterian Missionary, teaching I 

 Indians the industrial arts, had established a saw 

 mill, and told the writer that it was only on rare 

 occasions that they found a tree of the Yellow 

 Cypress. The Arbor Vitae was everywhere. On 

 the whole, we conclude that the impression that 

 the yellow cedar is a common tree in Alaska, and 

 takes the place of the Thuja, which is to be 

 limited to a range farther south, is erroneous. 



The Arbor Vita is well worthy of its specific 

 name, gigantea, as seen in Alaska. It grows quite 

 as large as the average of pine trees in our 

 Eastern States. 



Forestry in New Hampshire. — Report of the 

 Forestry Commission appointed by the Legislature, 

 July, 1 88 1. The Commission consisted of Gov- 

 ernor Hale, Messrs. Henry G. Jesup, Joseph B. 

 Walker, William H. Hills, Joseph Barnard, Wil- 

 liam S. Ladd, Ithiel E. Clay and William F. Flint. 

 They served without any expense to the State, ex- 

 cept $300 for clerical assistance. 



Like all these Commissions, and efforts by 

 States, in connection with the Forestry question, 

 this has resulted more in a collection of facts 

 bearing on the subject, than as formulating any 

 comprehensive plan on which the Legislature can 

 act. Indeed, the commissioners themselves say 

 that the chief result hoped for from their work is, 

 that " it may provoke discussion and elicit opin- 

 ions" as to what can be done. As to opinion, the 

 report itself shows how little help can be had from 

 that source. .A number of letters appear from 

 " old inhabitants," who very well know that there 

 has been a decrease in rainfall since the forests 

 have been cut away ; but when we turn to an- 

 other part of the report, to the records of the rain 

 guages, we find that there has been an increase 

 rather than a decrease of rainfall, since the 

 "oldest inhabitant " takes his retrospective view. 

 If springs have dried, or rivers show less water in 

 their courses, it will be from other causes than a 

 deficiency of rainfall. 



A very useful feature of this report is, the full 



list of the woody plants of New Hampshire, by 

 William F. Flint. 



It is evident from this and other reports, that 

 the great drawback to Forestry planting in our 

 country is the liability to forest fires. A complete 

 and exhaustive chapter is given to this topic here. 

 The usual recommendations are repeated here, 

 that "laws" prescribing penalties, and fixing 

 liabilities should be established. A sort of police 

 to put out fires, and hunt for incendiaries is recom- 

 mended. As to fixing liability, that is surely clear 

 enough by the common law now, but we all know 

 what it is for a poor fellow to undertake to sue a 

 rich corporation for damages. Five, ten, or even 

 twenty years are taken, before "Justice" renders 

 her decision ; and when she does, the legal costs 

 take all the damages one may be awarded. 



After a careful study of this able report, we are 

 still of opinion that our plan is the best — to make 

 it the duty of the public prosecutor, not to fine 

 people who accidentally start fires, but those who 

 leave dry brush around for people to fire; and to 

 imprison {fines and damages being nonsense) 

 those through whose negligence in these matters, 

 loss of life or damage to others ensues. 



Forests and the Water Supply. — As fre- 

 I quently noted in these columns practical matters 

 ' depend so much on correct deductions, that what 

 I would be nothing but abstract science to most 

 persons, becomes very much more to those in our 

 I profession. It is of first importance that what 

 I passes for science should be absolutely correct. 

 This has been the ground taken by this magazine 

 in regard to whatever there is in the question of 

 rainfall and forestry. The ideas emphasised by 

 Marsh in his " Man and Nature," mainly through 

 our efforts, are now thoroughly exploded. It is 

 now conceded that forests are a result and not a 

 j cause of climate, and their reflex influence very 

 small. The only claim left now is that forests are 

 distributors of moisture. Perhaps they are. In- 

 deed facts incline that way ; but inclination is not 

 definite proof, and much that is offered is but as- 

 sumption. Below is an extract from the recently 

 ! issued report of the Water Department ot Phila- 

 delphia, whose Chief, Col. Ludlow, is one of the 

 most intelligent gentlemen who has ever occupied 

 that position : 



" During the past 60 years the Schuylkill has 

 displayed a marked diminution in its minimum 

 flow. In 1816 this was estimated at 500,000,000 

 gallons per day ; in 1825, at 440,000,000 ; in 1867, 

 400,000,000 ; in 1874, 245,500,000. This remarka- 

 ble decrease, not being accompanied by any 

 great change in the rainfall, nor probably in the 



