﻿PRESERVATION 
  OF 
  FORESTS: 
  JUDICIOUS 
  BURNING. 
  317 
  

  

  4. 
  Preservation 
  of 
  the 
  forests 
  and 
  encouragement 
  to 
  

   tree 
  planting. 
  — 
  Without 
  entering 
  into 
  a 
  discussion 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  value 
  

   of 
  forests 
  in 
  ameliorating 
  climate, 
  and 
  fully 
  conscious 
  that 
  they 
  must 
  

   succeed 
  rather 
  than 
  precede 
  such 
  amelioration 
  ; 
  in 
  other 
  words, 
  that 
  it 
  

   is 
  impossible, 
  as 
  a 
  rule, 
  to 
  cultivate 
  forests 
  or 
  extend 
  them 
  successfully 
  

   in 
  arid 
  regions 
  without 
  first 
  supplying 
  the 
  requisite 
  conditions 
  of 
  moist- 
  

   ure 
  ; 
  we 
  nevertheless 
  fully 
  appreciate 
  the 
  great 
  importance 
  of 
  preserv- 
  

   ing 
  as 
  far 
  as 
  possible 
  the 
  timber 
  already 
  sparsely 
  existing 
  in 
  the 
  regions 
  

   we 
  are 
  considering, 
  and 
  also 
  the 
  desirability 
  of 
  extending 
  it, 
  as 
  a 
  se- 
  

   quence 
  and 
  valuable 
  outgrowth 
  of 
  the 
  increased 
  irrigation 
  we 
  havejust 
  

   been 
  advocating. 
  There 
  are 
  also 
  many 
  sections 
  of 
  the 
  West, 
  especially 
  

   near 
  the 
  limit 
  line 
  of 
  the 
  distribution 
  of 
  the 
  Locust, 
  where 
  timber 
  growth 
  

   is 
  spontaneous 
  whenever 
  the 
  prairies 
  are 
  protected 
  from 
  the 
  annual 
  fires 
  

   which 
  usually 
  sweep 
  over 
  them 
  and 
  hinder 
  forest 
  extension. 
  These 
  

   facts 
  add 
  weight 
  to 
  all 
  efforts 
  looking 
  either 
  to 
  increased 
  irrigation 
  or 
  

   judicious 
  restriction 
  and 
  use 
  of 
  fire. 
  

  

  5. 
  Judicious 
  burning. 
  — 
  In 
  this 
  connection 
  we 
  find 
  little 
  occasion 
  to 
  

   materially 
  modify 
  our 
  views 
  expressed 
  in 
  our 
  first 
  report 
  and 
  repeated 
  

   "on 
  page 
  272, 
  ante. 
  In 
  order 
  not 
  to 
  overestimate 
  the 
  practical 
  benefits 
  

   that 
  may 
  arise 
  from 
  judicious 
  burning 
  Mr. 
  Thomas 
  has 
  brought 
  together 
  

   in 
  Chapter 
  II 
  (pp. 
  16-18) 
  the 
  strongest 
  possible 
  arguments 
  against 
  its 
  

   practicability, 
  and, 
  after 
  giving 
  these 
  due 
  weight, 
  it 
  yet 
  remains 
  true 
  

   that 
  in 
  thus 
  burning 
  we 
  have 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  most, 
  if 
  not 
  the 
  most, 
  inexpen- 
  

   sive 
  ways 
  of 
  temporarily 
  checking 
  locust 
  increase 
  in 
  many 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  

   country 
  where 
  the 
  insect 
  freely 
  breeds. 
  No 
  amount 
  of 
  theoretical 
  ob- 
  

   jections 
  or 
  of 
  unsatisfactory 
  results, 
  often 
  due 
  to 
  imperfect 
  or 
  injudicious 
  

   burning, 
  can 
  offset 
  the 
  beneficial 
  results 
  that 
  may 
  be 
  obtained 
  with 
  care 
  

   and 
  under 
  favorable 
  circumstances. 
  The 
  writer 
  himself 
  has 
  personally 
  

   witnessed 
  the 
  slaughter 
  of 
  myriads 
  of 
  locusts 
  in 
  this 
  way, 
  and 
  this 
  mode 
  

   of 
  reducing 
  the 
  numbers 
  of 
  the 
  destructive 
  hordes 
  in 
  their 
  natural 
  hab- 
  

   it 
  at 
  once 
  forces 
  itself 
  upon 
  the 
  attention 
  of 
  all 
  who 
  have 
  had 
  experience 
  

   in 
  that 
  country. 
  The 
  fact 
  that 
  locusts 
  are 
  not 
  destroyed 
  in 
  very 
  great 
  

   numbers 
  in 
  the 
  Temporary 
  region 
  is 
  due 
  to 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  the 
  eggs 
  are 
  

   not 
  laid 
  in 
  this 
  region 
  in 
  the 
  ground 
  covered 
  with 
  dense, 
  long 
  or 
  prairie 
  

   grasses. 
  The 
  insects 
  would 
  be 
  destroyed 
  by 
  burning 
  were 
  they 
  there. 
  

   In 
  the 
  more 
  humid 
  prairie 
  country, 
  bare 
  dry 
  spots 
  are 
  preferred 
  for 
  

   oviposition 
  j 
  but 
  in 
  the 
  Permanent 
  region 
  the 
  insects 
  will 
  abound 
  most 
  

   where 
  the 
  vegetation 
  is 
  rankest 
  and 
  most 
  succulent. 
  A 
  study 
  of 
  Map 
  

   I 
  will 
  give 
  an 
  approximate 
  idea 
  of 
  the 
  amount 
  of 
  land 
  in 
  the 
  plains 
  area, 
  

   the 
  vegetation 
  of 
  which 
  is 
  susceptible 
  of 
  being 
  burned 
  over, 
  and 
  will 
  

   also 
  show 
  that 
  it 
  includes 
  all 
  the 
  more 
  arable 
  and 
  valuable 
  land 
  for 
  set- 
  

   tlement 
  — 
  a 
  fact 
  of 
  great 
  importance. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  plains 
  area 
  proper 
  there 
  is 
  little 
  or 
  nothing 
  to 
  prevent 
  whole- 
  

   sale 
  burning 
  of 
  the 
  vegetation 
  late 
  in 
  the 
  spring, 
  after 
  the 
  bulk 
  of 
  the 
  

   locusts 
  have 
  hatched 
  out, 
  beyond 
  the 
  expense 
  of 
  preventing 
  such 
  burn- 
  

   ing 
  the 
  previous 
  fall. 
  The 
  only 
  practical 
  way 
  in 
  which 
  this 
  could 
  be 
  done 
  

  

  