EDITORIAL 



Plant Trees trol the streamflow of navigable rivers 



over which the power and, therefore, 



TN HIS address before the Annual t i ie responsibility of Congress is un- 



1 Meeting, Secretary Wilson sounded questioned. Still, the fact remains that, 



a trumpet call to "plant trees." He re- whether Congress works or shirks, 



f erred to the rapidly waning timber others can and should do their own 



supply, to the fact that "the time is part 



coming when trees are going to be as That the United Kingdom is serious- 

 scarce as diamonds," and urged that re- i v considering the question of reforesta- 

 forestation work be begun at once. The t io n j s shown by the report of the Royal 

 mere fact that Congress seems to be un- Commission on Afforestation and Coast 

 willing to take action was not, in his Erosion. This body maintains that, in 

 judgment, reason why no one else ] ess t h a n thirty years, there will be no 

 should. Congress is not the only power timber available unless the different 

 or effective agency in the United States, countries of the world proceed, at once, 

 There are states, corporations, associa- w jth the work of replanting. Further - 

 tions, societies and individuals. Each mO re, though every country should now 

 of these can do something; all of them begin the work, the renewal will not, 

 together can do much. More than fifty by any means, halfway keep pace with 

 years ago Iowa farmers began the the consumption. 



planting of trees. It may be added The soil and climate of Great Britain, 



that, all over the Central West, clumps, t he report states, are favorable to the 



groves and wayside rows of trees plant- production of high-class commercial 



ed by individuals may be found, the timber, and the state could profitably 



total aggregating a large area. undertake the experiment of planting 



The Secretary wisely emphasized the i ar g e areas as an alternative to a timber 



fact that much of this planting must famine. 



be done by wholesale. "We have prob- Says a L on( j on dispatch of January 



ably 5,000,000 acres to plant. We Q thg Was fa ngton p os t. 

 ought to be reforesting a quarter of a 



million acres a year." This work is far A sum O f a bout $10,000,000 annually, the 



too great to be done with spades in hu- Commission believes, would be necessary to 



man" hands Tree seeds should be sown finance afforestation, but the money could 



like grass seed, broadcast, on the last be raised by loan. If money were p ended 



snows in the _ spring. An experiment ^^^^^^^ 



made on an eighty-acre tract, one mile Q{ the property might be expected to be 



above sea level, some three years ago, $2,810,375,000 or $534,965,000 in excess of the 



succeeded magnificntly. Now let the sum involved in its creation, 



good work go on! Besides, "afforestation creates a new in- 



Tt must not of course be inferred dustry; it does not compete with private en- 



3t ' 01 , C u terprise. The conversion of comparatively 



that the failure of Congress, thus far, un rofitable lands into forests enhances the 



to do its part affords to that body ex- productiveness of the adjacent area, and 



cuse for like failure in the future. should promote the development of the small 



The duty of Congress, in cases of holdings movement More than any other 



A ' - ,, apparent remedy, afforestation will stem the 



which the Appalachian-White Moun- ^ of ^^ depopulat i on . Jn addition, it 



tain ranges are typical, is paramount. is believed that" employment would thus be 



These ranges are inter-state, and con- furnished for 100,000 men. 



169 



