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Show FOIthSTS AND MINFAflfi! A Wontorn Tlmbornrnn'n Vlowanrt tho Bubjoot. lie Thinks That All UnfiiliirM AHnnt tho Drmiilatloii of Timber f.nnilt In ' tli Weil l Without roun- 11 !" E A correspondent of the Son Francli4, Iltilletln from tho foothills of U",, county advances the proposition thnt ui the Sierra, where tho original tunbecj has been cleared off, a second f:rovJj hn spmog tip which has more tharf twice tho retaining capacity for nio'st; m-oof tho Ural growth Troyi thli he deduces that tho nlarm about thivf-nndntlon thivf-nndntlon of our mountain forest Ini.ls Is unfounded. In fact he attributes tlds theory mainly to tho Influence of tho railroad company, which alms to got Ifovcrnmcnt rangers lo watch lt timbered tim-bered grant lanjs. Anyono familiar wlth'tho molhods of, tho railroad company will accept tho( general spg-gcntlon thnt It would bj, prompt to avail Itself of any r'o" W, shifting Ita burdens upon thn government govern-ment or tho public. Possibly there may bo something In this Idea, nl though llj mny look n little far-fetched. Vet It Is understood that often it Is necessary to ficriillnle bywaya'as woll as highways' to gel at railroad schemes. Oovcrnmcnt rangers might not tnlio It directly upori themsolves tn protect railroad tlaiber, but indirectly their supervision of adjacent ad-jacent sections would tend to that re suit. Aside from this, however, It mar be) admitted thnt our correspondent's vfft8 are partly right and partly wrong. The remit would depend much on local con' dlfion. No doubt In many portions of northern California, where thornlnfaU) especially In tho mnuntnlns, Is abundant, abun-dant, n Bccond growth wuld noon cbvrr tho ground after the clearing of th original forest. A liko fact may uftPrj be olwervcd In tho redwood forests along the coost. There, whero Hit-annual precipitation Is profuso nndi tho climate and soil aro naturally dompj the redtvood tends to reproduce 'Itself In other localities tho contrary appears. In the Contra Coata rnnge, for InstaVrAr, wh"'" thn natural moisture Is lew, llio clearing of tho rod woods Isnot followed lo nny great extent by tho oppcarnuto of n accond growth. " The naino will bo found tmo In.h greater or lea measure of tho forer.tsof tho Sierra nnd ot other mountain ranges. Where any tendency- to aridity exists It will undoubtedly projr'-S'tnio tlm tho svholcealn ilestructlon'Tivfoi-' VKiro7."lUrf.Mnotve"(rtiy''roiiva1? but by permanent denudation onjl clj-mntlo clj-mntlo changes, It might be safer to destroy tho original mountain forests in northern than in Routhorn California. In tho I'nn'J nl tho interior states and territories, wliero nrldlty Is moro pronounced, pro-nounced, it would bo a most daugiroua experiment. In such ensea only a Judicious Judi-cious thinning of the larger growth should bo permitted on any conditions. Krcn In mntstcr regions It would be better economy to confino cutting to th'e larger limber, giving the smaller opprt--luulty to mnturr. Instead of that toe past policy has been ta cut IndUcrlmlh-ntoly IndUcrlmlh-ntoly for lumber or furl purposes aid complete, tho destruction by shep browsing nnd fires. It Is time for f n defitiito and Intelligent system of If nr. estry. It may bo both preservativeand i-eproductlvo In scope. In manyW thus of I'ronco forestry now Includes not only tho preservation of the uaturrtl irrowtli but replanting on n Inrge stale. In tha hitter worlr duo attention lis Kivcn to tho species used. Medicinal nnd aromatic plants nro Included and boeomo commercially Important. This may bo somewhat hindrance of present needs on tho coast, but It Indlcntci th'o tendency lit countries where necewljy has put the problem of forestry moro forcibly before tho people. Wo can afford af-ford to talte lcfAons from tho largetj experience ex-perience of theso European countrica. Uy avoiding tho past errors wo may also avoid (.omo of their present ncci'siltlcs. |