518 THE AMERICAN FARMER. 



cherished and appreciated on account of its ennobling influence, and the happiness it imparts, 

 and is consequently, in one sense, quite as important as that which is only useful. He who 

 sees only with practical eyes, fails of much of the happiness in living, hence his life is 

 incomplete and imperfect. 



Influence of Forests on Rain-fall. While it is doubtless true that the average 

 amount of rain-fall in a country during a period of several years will not largely vary, 

 whether the land be diversified with extensive forests or not, yet the uniformity of the distri 

 bution of the rain is largely influenced by this feature. Where a considerable portion of the 

 land is covered with timber, the trees are instrumental in intercepting the clouds, and the rain 

 falls frequently and in refreshing showers, thus favoring the growth of vegetation and puri 

 fying the air; but in regions where there is a scarcity of trees, the rain-storms are less fre 

 quent and more heavy, being often accompanied with violent winds. A large portion of the 

 water that thus falls upon the earth runs into the rivers and seas without proving of much 

 benefit to the land, and frequently doing considerable damage. Hence, i in sections subject to 

 such violent storms, the soil becomes dry and parched in summer during the long and unequal 

 intervals of rain-falls, while there is not that benefit received from them generally that is 

 derived in forest regions. 



In this manner forests are instrumental in preventing both floods and drouths, and are 

 consequently of great benefit in an agricultural point of view. Even the rivers owe 

 their origin to the streams that have their birth in the forest-covered mountains and hills. 

 We know it to be a fact, that where the forests have been cut down, the brooks and rivulets 

 that for years had been a marked feature of the region, either become nearly exhausted or 

 disappear altogether. 



Extensive regions entirely destitute of forests have but little or no rain, and often 

 become deserts, with scarcely a vestige of vegetation. This is due, not so much on account 

 of the lack of fertilizing elements in the soil, as the absence of water. Many previously 

 desert sections have by the means of artificial irrigation been transformed into some of the 

 most fertile lands with luxuriant growth of vegetation of all kinds. In regions thus trans 

 formed, there is always this noticeable peculiarity, namely, that as soon as the growth of trees 

 and vegetation is secured by artificial irrigation, then the rain becomes frequent and falls in 

 gentle showers, enriching the soil and refreshing vegetation. Utah, previously referred to in 

 connection with the subject of irrigation, furnishes a remarkable instance of this kind. 



Influence Of Forests on Climate, etc. Forests are a protection against the force 

 of bleak winds in winter, and therefore render the climate warmer in cold weather, and 

 modify in a measure the sudden changes of temperature. They also render it more cool in 

 summer by preventing the rapid evaporation from soil thus shaded, that would otherwise be 

 caused by the hot rays of the sun, while their power for retaining moisture enables them to 

 become the source of springs and small streams which are always found there. The more 

 extensive our forests, the more uniform our temperature, and the more we are exempt from the 

 extremes of both heat and cold. The modifying influences of forests will readily explain the 

 reason why, in sections that were formerly protected by them, but which are now denuded of 

 them, the climate is more severe, the springs later, and it is impossible to cultivate certain deli 

 cate plants and trees that before this period could be grown with ease. Thirty years ago or more 

 peaches were a profitable crop in many of the Northern States where now they can scarcely 

 be grown at all, owing to the tendency of the trees to winter-kill. Trees are also healthful 

 in their influence, and act as purifiers of the atmosphere. We quote the following from 

 Hon. George B. Emerson on this subject: 



&quot; By planting your fields with trees, you not only make your homes more pleasant, but 

 you make them healthier, and you make your own domain more valuable. Here is a fact 



