Page:Popular Science Monthly Volume 29.djvu/151

Rh Canadian Forest Preservation.—In his paper at the American Forestry Congress, on "Forest Preservation in Canada," Mr. A. T. Drummond sketched a plan for the preservation and renewal of forests which might in some respects be equally applicable to the United States and Canada. Leases of public timber areas should be restricted to definite periods of five or at most seven years, with a rule that, after the expiration of the lease, the land should have rest for twenty years to allow the young timber to grow up. The timber limits should be restricted in size to about fifty square miles, as is now done in Manitoba. This would enable the Government more systematically to carry out the system of alternate leases and rests. The production of square timber should be discouraged, on account of the great waste of material in forming the square log, and of the additional food for forest-fires which the waste material creates. The cutting on public lands of trees under twelve inches at the stump should be punishable by a heavy fine. This would have the effect of preserving the younger trees till they attained a merchantable size. The starting of forest-fires should be made criminal. Wherever the forests have been cut over by the lumbermen and wherever fires have swept through areas of public lands not specially suitable or available for settlement, reserving or replanting with proper kinds of timber should be attended to. Lastly, the forests should be put under the charge of suitable officers.

Sea Air and Mountain Air.—In a paper on "the Climatic Treatment of Phthisis," Dr. Harold Williams, of Boston, considers the question of what conditions make a climate—say of the sea or the mountains, to either of which patients are generally sent—favorable for the treatment of consumption. They can not be conditions of moisture, or of atmospheric pressure, or of variability of temperature, for these are opposite on the sea and on mountains. The only conditions in which the two classes of location agree with any precision are those of purity of air and of the proportion of ozone constituent. Sea air contains small quantities of saline particles, and of iodine and bromine, while mountain air is usually lower in temperature and more diathermanous; but these are not regarded as essential qualities. One fact to be regarded in considering the question is that, with or without treatment, certain cases of phthisis naturally tend to recovery. Another fact is that any change of climate—which is often accompanied by a change of scene, of habits, of exercise, of food, of dress, of thought, and of surroundings—is of importance in cases of disease. When all the meteorological differences between the air of the mountains and the air of the sea are summed up, the sea-air seems to possess certain possible advantage over that of the mountains, "in that it is warmer and purer, and that it presents slighter variations, both of temperature and humidity. But this, it must be remembered, is the air over the sea itself, air that can only be prescribed through the medium of ocean voyages, a prescription open to the grave objections of idiosyncrasy against the sea; sea-sickness; anxiety at leaving friends, fears of dangers, lack of companionship, variety, and exercise; and, above all, inferiority of food. Added to which is the difficulty of selecting a voyage which shall extend over a sufficiently long period of time." Hence sea air, though perhaps the best of all kinds, is really available for only a few. Island and seaboard stations resemble most nearly the sea, but differ from it with respect to variations of temperature and humidity, and purity of the air. "Physiologically speaking, therefore, it may be said that mountain air is no better than island or seaboard air, because it is colder and more liable to sudden and excessive changes of temperature, while, on the other hand, it may be contended that island or seaboard air is no better than mountain air, because of its diminished purity." An important factor always to be consulted is the idiosyncrasy of the particular patient, for or against the sea or the mountains. "We must admit that, in the present state of our knowledge, the meteorological differences of climate have been proved to be of little importance in the treatment of phthisis." But there are probably beneficial effects of a change of climate which we may regard as due to factors common to all groups of health resorts, and which vary only in degree. These factors are: the change itself; the purity