82 PRACTICAL ARBORICULTURE 



goes far in determining the quantity of rainfall, its regularity, and consequently 

 the condition of flow in streams, depth of water and value for navigation. 



Countries which have few or no forests must adopt human labor as porters, or 

 animals as beasts of burden, and rudely constructed vehicles for freight convev- 

 ance, while those rich in forests are well equipped with railways and with vessels 

 of skilled construction as well as all the purposes of civilization which the prod- 

 ucts of the forests inspire. 



China, Manchuria and Korea are examples of regions practically free from 

 forests, and except as foreign nations have constructed railways, bringing materi- 

 als from abroad, the transportation is by human burden bearers supplemented by 

 rude boats upon the streams which are at times navigable. 



Egypt and all Northern Africa, Arabia, Persia and Central India, countries 

 without forests and almost treeless, have only caravans of camels to transport 

 travelers or products of the land. And South Africa, without trees, almost en- 

 tirely depends upon ox carts and mules as pack animals for carrying the food 

 stuffs, machinery and stores to the interior where mining is the principal indus- 

 try, and the mineral products back to the sea. 



While Germany, France, Austria and the United States, which have forests, 

 or have had until recently, are well supplied with all the modern means of trans- 

 portation ; the finest steamboats, ships and railway services possible to obtain. 



Rome was once a seaport city, the Tiber having sufficient depth to float the 

 vessels which navigated the Mediterranean sea, but the shifting bars have closed 

 this river to navigation, silt, and erosion filling up the beds of streams, history 

 repeating itself in Italy and America, extremes of forest removals causing ex- 

 tremes in flow of water, floods and drouths succeeding each other. 



It is a well known fact that the Ohio river, which formerly maintained a 

 twelve foot stage of water throughout the summer season, now frequently becomes 

 so low, two to three feet, that navigation is practically suspended for several 

 months each year, only the smallest, light draft boats being able to ply their trade. 



Not only is this the case, but at intervals the western rivers are flooded, doing 

 vast injury to the farm lands along their courses which are then submerged. 

 Strangers can scarcely realize that a stream can become so vacillating as to ha\v a 

 depth of two feet one day, and 71 feet perpendicular depth a month later, as is the 

 case with the Ohio river, and which is shown elsewhere. 



Forest influences alone are responsible for these extremes. 



The exhibit of the railways at the Louisiana Purchase Exposition in many 

 respects marks not only an era in locomotive science, but in mechanical and elec- 

 trical fields as well. 



And yet, were it not for the forest products, these marvelous pieces of ma- 

 chinery would be entirely worthless and its beautiful mechanism be cast aside 

 to be destroyed with rust. 



Not only the ties which support its guiding rails are of wood, but almost every 

 passenger and freight car: a majority of the buildings for the transaction of its 

 enormous business are also wood, while a very large proportion of its freight 

 traffic consists of the products of the saw mills, and besides almost the entire ship- 

 ment of freight are enclosed in wooden cases. Thus even the metal industries are 

 denendent upon the forests in a very great measure. 



