50 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



porous soil of the forest, which has held the water like a sponge, giving it 

 up slowly in cool, refreshing springs, has gone forever, and in its place 

 only bare rocks remain, which shed the rains like a roof; and in place of 

 the steady even running streams, the entire season through, torrents fill 

 the valleys in time of rain and dry water-courses only are seen in time of 

 drought. 



The preservation of this forest area in its entirety has become a vital 

 question. The question has been discussed for years, and in view of the 

 fact that the princijDal sources of the Hudson are found here, it is a ques- 

 tion of greater importance than the preservation of an equal area of forest 

 lands in any other part of our country. The problem of water supply for 

 the cities in its valley will be a jjroblem of furnishing water to ten mil- 

 lions of people in another half century, and there is no other adequate 

 supj)ly save the upj)er Hudson itself. The navigation of the river is also 

 a question of importance. It is not only a mighty avenue of commerce; 

 but, by many who have seen them, the famous rivers of the old world are 

 less attractive in their scenery than our own noble Hudson. In addition 

 to these considerations, there is the fact that the Erie canal, on which the 

 state annually expends millions of dollars, receives its supply of water, 

 from Rome eastward, from streams that take their rise in the Adirondack 

 forest. 



Besides its importance in the preservation of the uniform perennial 

 water su^Dply of the Hudson and other important rivers, the Adirondack 

 forest has become celebrated as a national sanitarium. The health-giving 

 influences of its pines and spruce and balsams and other cone-bearing 

 trees, have become celebrated, and thousands of tourists make it the place 

 of their summer outing. Health and rest and rational pleasure wait upon 

 the invigorating air of its mountains and the delightful aroma of its 

 primeval forests. 



As to the desirability of preserving this forest area, there is no question. 

 The most enlightened public sentiment is unanimous in its favor. As to 

 the probability or possibility of its being preserved entire, however, there 

 are grave doubts. Governor Hill, in a special message to the legislature 

 in the winter of 1890, called attention to the matter and recommended 

 the appointment of a special commission to investigate the desirability, 

 and the probable expense to the state, of the purchase of a large tract of 

 land embracing the head waters of the Hudson and other important rivers, 

 a tract some sixty or seventy miles square and including lands surround- 

 ing most of those now owned by the state. The recommendation of the 

 governor as to the appointment of a special commission was not concurred 

 in, but the work suggested by him was placed in the hands of the forest 

 commission, and it will be ready with an elaborate report at the opening 

 of the legislature of 1891. 



In the meantime the legislature of 1890 made a small appropriation for 

 the purpose of such lands lying contiguous to the state lands as could be 

 purchased at a price not to exceed one dollar and fifty cents per acre. 

 This bill was signed by the governor with the memorandum that it would 

 do no harm and was good as far as it went, but that it was totally inade- 

 quate to meet the urgency of the case. Some of the lands in the area 

 mentioned are owned by sportsmen and wealthy men who are ready to 

 co-operate with the state in any efPort to preserve the timber. Most of the 

 valuable timber lands, however, are owned by lumbermen who have large 

 investments in mills, and they care little for the preservation of the timber 



