AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



277 



of the Union. What had they to gather 

 rains from? Alas, what have they? 

 For a generation our farmers have 

 been draining their lands of moisture. 

 They have run their tiling through every 

 slough ; they have drawn out the water 

 from every swamp ; they have dried up 

 the pond ; they have obliterated the 

 beautiful little lake. In doing this, they 

 have made such easy and rapid egress 

 for rainfall from the soil as to endanger 

 the homes and farm lands of all the set- 

 tlers along the great rivers in the south- 

 ern regions of our country, already 

 inflicting great distress, loss of life and 

 property equaling in value many mil- 

 lions of dollars — an evil which is growing 

 in magnitude each year. 



The result of this wholesale draining 

 of the upper country of water is not only 

 thus disastrous to life and property along 

 the larger streams, from frequent over- 

 flow, but there is such absolute drainage 

 of moisture from the earth as to produce 

 severe drouth, accompanied by such 

 intense heat and dryness of atmosphere 

 as result in the hurricane, the cyclone, 

 and innumerable village, prairie and 

 forest fires. 



In the early days, when the process of 

 evaporation of moisture went forward 

 from the swamps, the ponds and lakes of 

 our Western and Middle States, an 

 extended drouth, with extremely intense 

 heat, was a rare occurrence. In those 

 days sun-stroke was very uncommon, 

 and the cyclone was comparatively un- 

 known. This year we are in the second 

 season of drouth in various portions of 

 the country, while every year brings its 

 devastation from wind, the result of an 

 excessively dry and frequently disturbed 

 condition of the atmosphere. 



With the land thus denuded of natural 

 water supply, there is but one course for 

 our farmers to pursue to save themselves 

 from these evils. They may drain their 

 soil, but they should gather the rainfall 

 in ponds and lakes scattered throughout 

 their lands. Instead of running their 

 drains through and out of the swamp, 

 they should lead to an excavation of such 

 size as circumstances will permit, which 

 should be made at a depth of 3 or 4 feet, 

 where the water can gather and will 

 remain throughout the year, quenching 

 the thirst of animals, giving drink to 

 V)irds, a reservoir in case of fire, a home 

 for fish, a place of beauty on which one 

 nuiy sail the boat, an opportunity for the 

 bath and for teaching the young people 

 to swim. This will yield ice for the 

 family, provide skating for the happy 

 youth in Winter time, and moisture, 

 which, through evaporation, will pass 



into the clouds to be returned again 

 through rainfall to the needy earth. 



No fear need be entertained of stagna- 

 tion from water thus held in reserve. 

 Fish will of themselves purify it. Every 

 rain will change it, while, if the lake 

 covers an acre or more in area, the wind 

 will constantly keep it pure. In proof 

 of this, the writer has an artificial lake 

 on his farm, the result of dredging a 

 swamp, which is filled only by rainfall, 

 the water being, in the dryest season, 

 always perfectly clear and fresh. 



On the low lands the general abandon- 

 ment of farms and homes from river 

 overflow will be the inevitable outcome 

 of this water wastage in the high 

 grounds. Such is already the fact, while 

 the expenditure of many millions of dol- 

 lars by the Government, in the construc- 

 tion of levees and embankments along 

 the great rivers, will be necessary for 

 the further protection of adjoining 

 property. Vastly better that this expend- 

 iture be made in holding the water 

 where it is required in the up-country. 



Dot the farms of our inland States 

 with ponds and miniature lakes, and 

 while they will afford health, attraction 

 and pleasure in a thousand ways, they 

 will give us back the uniform rainfall 

 we had in the early settlement of the 

 country, when successive seasons of 

 drouth, forest fires and cyclones were 

 unknown. 



[This is one of the serious questions of 

 the age— and should be thoroughly ven- 

 tilated. It may be that Mr. Hill's theory 

 concerning the cause of drouth and 

 cyclones is correct. At any rate it should 

 be discussed, and some means devised to 

 overcome these troubles. They effect 

 bee-keepers as much as any other per- 

 sons. The bees need water. The drouth 

 dries up the nectar and ruins the pros- 

 pect for a honey crop. — Ed. J 



Mr. Penfield's article, which he refers 

 to in the first paragraph, is as follows : 



The article of Thos. E. Hill on 

 "Drouths and Cyclones," on page 437, 

 has greatly interested me. Bee-keeping 

 and farming are intimately associated 

 with us ; the rainfall is an indispensable 

 necessity, and, as we used to say when 

 working out problems at school, the 

 "unknown quantity" that we are trying 

 to get. The editor invites the readers by 

 a " postscript," to work out this problem 

 of the cause of drouths and cyclones. 



