18 



sun, and the myriads, or rather millions, of leaves covering 

 the soil and acting like a sponge, soaking up and retaining the 

 rain and regulating its distribution, while the roots act as ver- 

 tical drains, favoring infiltration and promoting the descent of 

 the water into the lower strata of the earth, there to nourish 

 the springs. 



Among the works of Dr. J. C. Brown on Forestry — the 

 most voluminous writer on this subject in the English lan- 

 guage — is one on " Rehoisement in France," or the replanting 

 of the Alps, the Cevennes, and the Pyrenees, to arrest and 

 prevent the destructive consequences of torrents. He clearly 

 shows from official documents what fearful inundations 

 resulted from the over-clearing of forests, and describes the 

 remedial measures now in progress, which are to extend 

 through many years and to cost over twelve millions of francs. 

 But the loss of property by the terrible inundations in the 

 south of France in 1875 was estimated by the government at 

 seventy-five millions of francs, besides the loss of over three 

 thousand lives. This was the work of a single year. The 

 sad lessons of other torrents and other years have now at 

 length led to systematic efforts to re-clothe their mountains. 



The benefits that may accrue to our country from the dis- 

 cussion of tree-planting, were strikingly exhibited two hundred 

 and fourteen years ago, when Sir John Evelyn published his 

 celebrated work, entitled, " Sylva ; or, a Discourse on Forest 

 Trees and the Propagation of Timber." It was at once received 

 with great public favor, and honored with royal commendation. 

 He had remarkable success in awakening general interest in • 

 sylviculture. It was written while he was employed in an 

 entirely different branch of public service, but, as he says, 

 " from an earnest desire to support the credit of the Royal 

 Society, and to convince the world that philosophy was not 

 barely an amusement, fit only to employ the time of melan- 

 choly and speculative people, but a high and useful science, 

 worthy the attention of men of the greatest parts, and capable 

 of contributing in a supreme degree to the welfare of the 

 nation." He was one of the founders of the Boyal Society, 

 and wrote this book at its special request, and that society 



