FORESTRY. 191 
gress and to restore, partially at least, the former favorable conditions. 
Careful investigations have been made in regard to the infiuence of 
forests upon climate, upon rainfall and water distribution. Laws have 
been enacted for the protection of forests. Forest schools or colleges 
have been established for the purpose of investigating and teaching the 
laws of tree life and reproduction, and the best management of forests in 
order to secure their highest productiveness and greatest benefit to the 
country; and the forests owned by the governments have been placed 
under such management. In France, since 1860, more than $30,000,000 
have been expended in reforesting portions of the country from which 
the woods had been stripped, and it is estimated that more than $30,000,- 
000 more will be expended for this purpose before the necessary work will 
be completed. 
The reckless destruction of our forests, especially in the mountainous 
western regions of the country, threatens to produce consequences as 
disastrous as those which have afflicted France and called for such 
a large pecuniary expenditure. Wherever the forests are swept from 
the mountain sides occasional torrents are produced by heavy rains 
or the rapidly melting snows,which year by year increase in their destruc- 
tive effects, tearing the ground up for great distances, and carrying down 
masses of rocks and stones to cover the arable landson the lower levels, 
and destroy their value for agricultural purposes. At the same time 
irrigation works are destroyed or made impossible of construction, because 
of the unimpeded flow of the water from the mountain heights, no longer 
held back or checked in its speed and force by the spongy humus of the 
forests, and the interlacing roots of the trees. The rapid destruction of 
our forests has been invited hitherto by the profitableness of the lumber 
industry,and the liberality and folly of the government in giving its lands 
freely, or at a merely nominal price, to whoever would take them, at the 
same time making no account whatever of the timber,which might be 
growing upon them, and which often has been worth ten times, oreven a 
hundred times the value of the lands themselves. The natural conse- 
quence has been that persons, greedy only of gain, have got possession of 
the government timber lands for the simple purpose of cutting off the 
timber,and then have abandoned the lands as worthless. No regard has 
been had to the future use of the land,or to the present or future benefit 
of the public. To make money out of the trees converted into lumber, 
has been the simple and sole object of the lumbermen, and the public and 
the officers of the government, not understanding or not foreseeing the 
ultimate evil results of this reckless use or misuse of the forests, have al- 
lowed the evil work to go on without protest or hindrance of any sort. 
But at length the lessening streams in some places, and the alternate 
floods and drouths in others, and the changed climatic conditions, have 
caused some attention to be given to the warnings,which have come from 
the experience of other lands and from the few among us,who have been 
carefully studying the condition of things at home. 
We are sweeping off the forests twice as fast as they increase by natural 
growth. Our great tracts of white pine are being cut at such a rate,that 
white pine lumber will hardly be seen in the market a few years hence. 
The cry is also going up that the oak, the poplar and other woods are be- 
coming scarce. It is evident that something must be done to bring the 
