1857. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



191 



ed. The inconsiderate felling of woods, or the neg- 

 lect to maintain them, has converted regions noted 

 for their fertility into scenes of barrenness. The 

 sultry atmosphere and the drought of the Cape 

 Verd Islands are attributable to the destruction of 

 forests. It is stated that in large districts of India, 

 climate and irrigation have rapidly deteriorated from 

 a similar cause, and that the government are now 

 using means to avert and remedy the mischief. In 

 wooded countries where the rains are excessive, as 

 in Rio Janeiro, the climate has been improved by 

 the destruction of trees. Gardner says that since 

 the axe has been laid on the dense forests surroun- 

 ding the city of Rio Janeiro, the climate has become 

 dry. In fact, so much has the quantity of rain di- 

 minished, that the Brazilian government was oblig- 

 ed to pass a law, prohibiting the felling of trees in 

 the Corcovado range." 



Dr. Cleghorn remarks, "that the conservation of 

 forests is unquestionably a subject of great imjior- 

 tance. It is now occupying the attention of the gov- 

 ernment of India, and of many other governments. 

 The physical history of every country proves incon- 

 testably, that a moderate extent of forests, especial- 

 ly on mountain slopes, and elevated rocky ground, 

 where tillage is impracticable, promotes to a high 

 degree both the agricultural and manufacturing in- 

 terests of individuals, as well as the physical sound- 

 ness and productive resources of extensive countries. 

 It appears that the influence of forests^ in a physi- 

 cal, economical and hygienic point of view, is deserv- 

 ing of more complete investigation than it has yet 

 received. By felling trees which cover the tops 

 and sides of mountains, men in every climate pre- 

 pare at once two calamities for future generations — 

 the want of fuel and the scarcity of water." 



If I may quote from myself in another journal, I 

 ■would not assert that the foliage of trees produces 

 more humidity by exhalation than the same amount 

 of foliage of herbaceous plants. The latter are in- 

 deed proportionally more active perhaps than the 

 leaves of trees. But a square acre of ground, when 

 covered wiih trees is productive of a vastly greater 

 quantity of foliage than a square acre covered with 

 any description of herbaceous plants ; and as the 

 roots of trees penetrate deeper into the soil, than 

 those of other plants, they draw up the moisture 

 from a greater depth, and do not, therefore, in the 

 same proportion, exhaust the humidity of the sur- 

 face. To this influence of forests upon the humidi- 

 ty of a climate, we may i-easonably attribute the ful- 

 ness of the streams in all parts of this country a 

 century ago, compared with their jjresent diminish- 

 ed bulk. This is a matter of common observation, 

 sustained by indubitable proofs. In the same way 

 we may account for the increased frequency and se- 

 verity of droughts, and the unequal apportionment 

 of rain, throughout the season, as the woods have 

 disappeared before an increasing population. 



Humboldt remarks (as quoted by Balfour,) "plants 

 exhale water from their leaves, in the first place for 

 their own benefit. But various important seconda- 

 ry effects follow from this process. One of these is 

 maintaining a suitable portion of humidity in the 

 air. Not only do they attract and condense the 

 moisture suspended in the air, and borne by the 

 wind over the earth's surface, which falling from 

 their leaves keeps the ground below moist and cool ; 

 but they can, by means of their roots, pump it from 

 a very considerable depth, and raising it into the 

 atmosphere, difi'use it over the face of the country. 



Trees by the respiration from their leaves, surround 

 themselves with air constantly cool and moist. They 

 also shelter the soil from the direct action of the 

 sun, and thus prevent the evaporation of water fur- 

 nished by rains. In this way they contribute to the 

 copiousness of streams." 



The next essay of the series will treat of the el- 

 ectric agency of trees and plants. 



For the liew England Farmer. 



THE HAIE SIJAKE— BLACK SNAKE. 



Mr. Editor : — I have been quite interested in 

 one of the articles published in your January num- 

 ber, entitled "The Hair Snake ;" the account of Mr. 

 Gage exactly corroborates my previous observa- 

 tions, and the established opinions of various per- 

 sons. 



Some years since I saw a score or more of these 

 tiny reptiles interlaced like network, and moving 

 on the surface of a little patdi of water ; on ex- 

 pressing my astonishment at the number, and ask- 

 ing where they came from, I was informed that 

 "people say that crickets produce them." 



A few months since, I was engaged in the exca- 

 vation of a well, and frequently found in the morn- 

 ing many crickets which had fallen into the exca- 

 vation in the night. My attention was directed to 

 a cricket which had been injured in some way, and 

 a portion of its abdomen was torn away, showing a 

 whitish thread-like substance, and remembering the 

 remarks that crickets were the parents of the hair 

 snake, I took a small stick and pulled out a bright, 

 lively hair snake a little over a foot in length, and 

 the cricket moved off seemingly none the worse for 

 my operation. Whether this is a normal or abnor- 

 mal change some other one must say ; though it 

 does not seem a greater change than that of a dis- 

 gusting worm into a beautiful butterfly. Now will 

 you let me know if you have ever heard of a black 

 snake with a white ring about its neck, and said to 

 be poisonous ? I have always thought this said 

 animal a myth, and of course poisonous if it should 

 bite one, till last season I found a little black snake, 

 about six inches long, and as large as a good sized 

 knitting-nedle,having a distinctly marked white ring 

 around its neck. It seemed extremely active, and 

 resembled the black snake in every thing but the 

 white ring and its small size. So hereafter I will 

 not question the fact of their being such reptiles, 

 and of course must believe in their venom. 



O. S. S. 



The Concord Grape. — I saw in the Counb-y 

 Gentleman a notice of the Concord and Isabella 

 grapes, in regard to their time of ripening. As there 

 appears to be so much difference in different locali- 

 ties, I thought I would give you the result of mine. 

 I have endeavored to give them a fair trial. My 

 Concord and Isabella are standing ten feet apart ; 

 they have the same cultivation and exposure. The 

 Isabella is six years old and the Concord four. 

 They both gave good crops the past season. The 

 Concord gave fourteen pounds, and was ten days 

 earlier than the Isabella. Some of the bunches 

 were nearly equal to the outlines in the Country 

 Gentleman. The Concord promises well, being 

 perfectly hardy and a good bearer. It will, without 

 doubt, be the grape to cultivate as far north as 

 Oswego. — S. WoRDEN, Minetto, Oswego Co. — 

 Country Gentleman. 



