242 



THE FORESTER. 



October, 



one where there are no trees. The differ- 

 ence is that we live upon the ground, and 

 we judge of the amount of wind by what 

 we feel ourselves. So it must be said that 

 as there are more trees there will be less 

 wind that we feel. I doubt very much 

 whether there is any other connection than 

 this between the forest areas and the wind. 

 I doubt whether there is any possibility of 

 showing that winds have decreased, and 

 that as a consequence the trees have in- 

 creased. It is rather the opposite that 

 as the trees have increased they have 

 deflected the air currents upwards so that 

 we feel them less and less. 



EFFECT OF REMOVAL OF WILD ANIMALS. 



Coming to matters which are of much 

 more local importance, the inquiry may 

 be made as to whether disappearance of 

 the wild animals which formerly roamed 

 over the plains and prairies has had 

 any effect upon the timber areas. It 

 is certain that the buffaloes, dear, elk and 

 other herbivorous animals must have more 

 or less affected the young timber areas, and 

 yet when we compare the wild animals of 

 this kind with the stock which man has 

 brought in since, we are compelled to say 

 that the former could have had very little 

 effect upon the timber as compared with 

 the latter. It is unlikely that the disap- 

 pearance of wild animals has had sufficient 

 effect upon the timber areas to be worthy 

 of consideration. 



EFFECT OF ADJACENT TILLAGE. 



It has sometimes been said that prob- 

 ably the tillage of the adjoining fields has 

 had a beneficial effect upon the timber 

 areas. I think there is something to be 

 >aid in favor of this suggestion. Here 

 md there without question the tilled fields 

 allect beneficially the surrounding untilled 

 ground. This is especially the case where 

 the tilled fields lie upon higher lands than 

 the adjoining timber areas, and it will be 

 noted that this is usually the case. The 

 wash from the tilled ground will carry 

 r upon the untilled areas rich materials 

 along with the thin layer of actual soil, 

 and so better conditions will be made for 

 the springing up of young seedlings. I 

 am inclined to give considerable weight to 



the suggestion that we have here one of 

 the factors aiding in the increase of the 

 timber areas, and yet in many places in 

 the State I have seen the timber areas 

 spreading miles and miles away from any 

 possible influence from the tilled fields. 

 It is only here and there that this can be 

 admitted as a factor in the problem under 

 consideration. 



EFFECT OF STOPPAGE OF PRAIRIE FIRES. 



When we look over the whole field we 

 find that there is, however, one factor 

 which is efficient ; namely, that of prairie 

 fires. Originally the plains and prairies 

 were swept annually with fires which 

 burned down to the ground every living 

 thing. These fires, coming every year, 

 made it impossible for the tiny seedlings 

 to live. They had not yet gained suffi- 

 cient strength in their roots to be able to 

 send up shoots again and again from the 

 uninjured underground portions. There 

 can be no question as to the effect of 

 prairie fires upon the seedling trees. 

 Wherever the fires sweep over every 

 seedling is destroyed. Since man has 

 taken possession of the open lands he has 

 restricted more and more the sweep of 

 the fires, and here we have for the first 

 time an efficient cause which enables us to 

 understand how it is, and why it is, that 

 the timber areas of the open country are 

 spreading. 



HOW THE PINES SPREAD. 



When we make the inquiry as to exactly 

 how timber areas are spread we find that 

 there is some difference between the Pines 

 and the deciduous trees. Thus in the case 

 of the Pines, the seeds are scattered by 

 the winds, being aided in this by the wings 

 attached to the seeds. Apparently the 

 seeds are scattered for considerable dis- 

 tances in the direction of the prevailing 

 winds. Those which fall upon favorable 

 spots spring up and become the little 

 seedlings mentioned above. In the ex- 

 tension of the Pine forests the Pine trees 

 alone seem to be concerned. There are 

 no shrubs or weeds to form a cover in 

 which the little plants start up. I have 

 seen many places where the Pine seedlings 

 were springing out of the sparse sod, sur- 



