352 



FORESTRY. 



isbed in volume that, in many cases, the mills 

 have been obliged to lessen their production 

 or continue it only by the introduction of steam- 

 power. 



It has been a matter of dispute whether for- 

 ests actually increase the amount of rain-fall 

 in their vicinity. The preponderance of opin- 

 ion favors the conclusion that they do, though 

 the difficulty of making the necessary observa- 

 tions to settle the question is so great as to 

 forbid at present a very positive opinion. So 

 far as forests are on elevated ground and they 

 are so situated to a great extent it would seem 

 a reasonable conclusion that more moisture 

 from passing clouds would be condensed by 

 them and precipitated in the form of rain than 

 would be converted into rain upon the open 

 and lower ground. The simple law of attrac- 

 tion would tend to bring the clouds into con- 

 tact with them, and their elevation would also 

 cause them to intercept more or less the clouds 

 driven toward them by the winds. Thus we 

 might expect a greater deposition of moisture 

 than on the lower and cleared ground; and in 

 accordance with this, those who have paid but 

 little attention to the operations of nature must 

 have noticed how the clouds seem to cling 

 around the mountains when elsewhere the sky 

 is comparatively clear. Mr. Colvin, in charge 

 of the Adirondack Survey, testifies that he 

 has often found the trees there dripping with 

 moisture condensed from passing clouds, when 

 there was no such condensation outside of the 

 forest limit. Careful and repeated observa- 

 tions also show an increasing amount of rain- 

 fall as one goes from the level of Lake Cham- 

 plain into the region of the Adirondacks. This 

 increase is proportioned to the elevation at- 

 tained, and may be attributed in part to the 

 forests and in part to elevation, as we know 

 the temperature of the atmosphere decreases 

 with elevation, and therefore the precipitation 

 from the clouds is more copious on hills and 

 mountains than on lower ground. But the 

 precipitation is not to be attributed to eleva- 

 tion alone, for, in cases where cleared ground 

 and forests have been on the same level, it has 

 been found that more rain fell upon the forest 

 than upon the open land. 



But whatever may be thought as to the effect 

 of forests in increasing the amount of rain-fall, 

 there can be no doubt that they are great equal- 

 izers of temperature and moisture, and so have 

 an important influence upon climate and upon 

 the healthfulness as well as the agricultural ca- 

 pacity of the region where they are. No one 

 can have visited a forest in the warm season 

 without noticing its grateful coolness, and the 

 moist condition of the air as compared with 

 that of the open country. So, in the cooler 

 season of the year, the atmosphere in the for- 

 est is warmer than that outside its limits. 

 Lumber-men and wood-choppers find no diffi- 

 culty in pursuing their work in the coldest 

 weather. Travelers also experience great re- 

 lief at once in very cold weather, whenever 



they can get within the shelter of the forest. 

 The ground never freezes in the woods as it 

 does elsewhere. This is owing very much to 

 the protecting cover of the fallen leaves, and 

 to the snow. But the forests are also free 

 from the winds. The most violent winds do 

 not penetrate them, except for a very short 

 distance. A tempest may be raging without, 

 but stillness will reign in the depth of the 

 woods. The trunks and branches of the trees 

 form an effectual barrier against all but the 

 most violent tornadoes, and even these seldom 

 penetrate or damage dense and well-managed 

 forests. The shelter is often equivalent to a 

 favorable change of latitude of several degrees, 

 so that certain plants and grains can be culti- 

 vated which could not be grown successfully 

 without such protection. Thus forestry takes 

 rank as one of the most important subjects of 

 consideration. There is not one of the Euro- 

 pean states that does not now give prominence 

 in its system of administration to its forests. 



Where the forests are not owned by the state, 

 the interest of the latter in such as are owned 

 by individuals or corporations is held to be so 

 great that the state maintains the right of su- 

 pervision. While the proprietors are allowed 

 usually to manage their forest property as 

 they please, yet the state will not permit them 

 to manage it in a way that may be prejudicial 

 to the general welfare. No one, for example, 

 is allowed to cut and remove an extensive tract 

 of forest at once, if thereby the adjacent prop- 

 erty of others would be injured, or if the dan- 

 ger of floods and torrents would be increased. 

 The state here asserts its right of eminent do- 

 main and, if necessary, takes possession of the 

 property. In general, however, there is now 

 such a well-established and enlightened sense 

 of the value of forests on the part of most 

 owners of woodland in Europe, and such confi- 

 dence in the wisdom and policy of the manage- 

 ment of forests adopted by the governments, 

 that they are usually disposed to adopt the 

 same and to place their property under the 

 control of officers appointed by the state. 



The Bureau of Forests in France, and the 

 Bureau of Foreet Administration in Germany, 

 are among the^most important offices of gov- 

 ernment. They form a part of the Finance 

 Department ; for, while the forests are highly 

 regarded for their climatic influences and their 

 conservative effects, and on this account are 

 carefully managed, they are at the same time 

 so managed as to be made important sources 

 of revenue. This is especially the case in Ger- 

 many, where the economic value of the forests 

 in their direct products is the chief considera- 

 tion, as in France, owing to different geo- 

 graphical conditions, the relation of the for- 

 ests to climate and soil-protection becomes 

 the chief interest. In Germany the forests are 

 so managed as to produce the largest and best 

 growth of the most valuable kinds of trees 

 upon a given space, while at the same time 

 they are so arranged in position and form as 



