ESSAY UPON REDWOOD. 89 



be again protected whilst the remnants and roots are recup- 

 erating the dismantled forests ; and the more so, seeing all are 

 agreed that an enlightened public policy requires it ? 



Among many, some may differ as to the extent of cli- 

 matic and other influences, such as arid, bleak, irregular, or 

 variously impoverished wind we use this expression advised- 

 ly in manifold senses because, for aught we know to the 

 contrary, forests as vast alembics may filter and purge, purify 

 and exhale much invisible, and so to speak, aerial and highly 

 fluid food upon the bosom of the breeze, ready to be appro- 

 priated and vitalized at once, nursing, nourishing and guard- 

 ing not only men and animals, but benignantly ruling at the 

 head of its own realm, with trees of honor, from the high 

 cedar unto the low and vulgar bramble ; for none liveth solely 

 unto itself. Thus the leaves, after drawing up and preparing 

 such and similar pabula, then they too fall away, and furnish 

 the grosser earthy humus, salts and soils so well known and 

 needful to forestal exhaustion, so imminent in the natural 

 course of growth, of culture, or of abstraction, and of waste. 

 May there not also be more recondite magnetic, electric, and 

 aural influences that, at least, serve to stimulate as ample 

 experiments seem to confirm or to compromise all the extra 

 hypothetic and probable ? Suppose we agree to relegate the 

 whole mystery to their known and more palpably demon- 

 strable and mighty tempering and irrigating powers, since 

 enough is known of these beneficial effects alone to warrant 

 the utmost concern ; and all that, superadded to the commer- 

 cially economic foreshadowed, or to be hereinafter more fully 

 substantiated. So long as trees and shrubs clothe highland, 



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