Show THE WHOLESALE destruction of forests in New York has materially i decreased the annual rainfall in and an effort is now being ij made to remedy the evil before l j II I be-fore it is too late A bill has been dIJ introduced in the legislature to prohibit pro-hibit the sale of forest lands in the t i Adirondac region to lumbermen and there is fair premise of its passage pas-sage The navigation of the Iud la son has been greatly injured through I > the lessened rainfall and people are 1 looking at the matter seriously J They say that something must 11 be done Not only in New J York but all through the l I middle and western states is the f J devastation of forests having bar j i I effect upon the rivers An exchange I remarks that men are now living who remember the Ohio River as a I noble stream navigable from Cairo I if I to Pittsburg at all seasons of the J J 1 year f Today above Cincinnati it q 1 is navigable during certain seasons i and then only by the aid of expensive expen-sive government works The cause is that the forests bordering every tributary have disappeared thereby t j diminishing the rainfall and destroying des-troying the never failing springs which once furnished constant supply sup-ply Millions of the public treasure I F treas-ure have been and will be spent in trying to preserve the navigability i of rivers which half a century ago i 1 needed no artificial aids The greatS 1 Mississippi is now suffering because 1 i the forests along its headwaters have been wantonly and recklessly J destroyed Great damage has already been done the material interests in-terests of the country and it is yet time to prevent much greater if it is within the domain of legislation 1 to make and enforce enactments l ° not only for forest preservation but j also for forest planting It is to be j hoped that New York will take the t J ° initiative in this matter |