234 AMERICAN FORESTRY 



elsewhere reviewed this paper and River, says : "The influx of sand from 



pointed out the inconsistencies, contra- above must first be stopped ; then the 



dictions, and purely arbitrary state- river will have a chance to clear itself, 



ments, presented without demonstration, and as its width contracts the shores can 



which it contains, I will not further re- be revetted to prevent any further inju- 



fer to it, but I will quote from Colonel rious changes." 



Chittenden's report on reservoir sites In the report for 1879, page 121 1, 



in the arid regions, in which he says : ^Jaj. Charles O. Allen says: "The 



"The forests ought unquestionably to weight of evidence collected by va- 

 be preserved and the government is the rious writers upon the subject of rain- 

 proper agency to do it ; but the prin- fall seems to indicate that reforesting 

 cipal arguments therefor apply with ac- of extensive areas of country is fol- 

 centuated force to the construction of lowed by a more equable distribution of 

 reservoirs." the rainfall throughout the year." 



Professor Moore says "army and In the same report, page 1373, Assist- 

 civilian engineers and meteorologists ant Engineer T. P. Roberts says : "The 

 generally believe that the broken, culti- clearing of forest lands, I believe, is 

 vated, permeable soil is equally as good followed by greater fluctuations in our 

 a conserver of the rainfall as the forest rivers. I think the storm-waters un- 

 area itself." Here again Professor doubtedly reach the streams more rap- 

 Moore obscures the point of this sub- idly now than formerly." 

 ject by talking about cultivated areas, And in the report for 1891, page 

 although he knows perfectly well that 1107, Maj. Charles W. Raymond, one 

 his paper would be used as an argu- of the most scholarly and capable of- 

 ment against the preservation of for- fleers who has ever been connected with 

 ests on the steep slopes not suitable for the corps, makes the following forcible 

 cultivation. I protest against such mis- statement, which it may be well to quote 

 representations in the discussion of an in full : 

 important measure. As a matter of 



fact, the only references in the reports causes which increase the destructive 



of the Chie/ of Engineers to this sub- ^^^ect of floods 



ject which I have been able to find, are c- 1 



tu„ fr^Ur^«r1■r,rt•• ^"'"" causcs mav be considered under the 



tne lolowmg. three following heads : 



In the report for 1875, Vol. 2, page i. Destruction of forests and cultivation 



172, reference is made to the paper of of land. 



Wex, a prominent Austrian engineer, ~. Artificial constructions, such as bridges 



who wrote an elaborate argument in ' , rr^\^<^i^--,r.,. r.f ^r. c ^ u a ■ 



r , ^, . . ,*= ^ 3- (-olJection of logs, lumber, and ice in 



favor of the proposition that forests the stream and upon its banks. 

 exercise an important regulative influ- 

 ence, and the statement is made bv S. T. ^- ^^'^ destruction of forests from the 



Abert, United States Assistant' Engi- T"]]!:T^J'fu! fil''^ ^''^'l ?^ ' watershed 



^ IS unaoubteaty the principal cause of the 



"^^'" • _ _ _ increase of the average magnitude of Hoods* 



"This decrease is assigned to the dev- The evidence collected during the last twenty- 



astation of the forests and the conse- *'^^ ^'^^"^^ establishing this conclusion is well- 



quent decrease of atmospheric moisture Illfted'nbJ^i'i'S'.; '"''. '' 1' '"'"^''^ ^- "" 



'■ ,^ -11 peated observations, not onlv m the moun- 



— a cause often assigned but not yet tains of Europe, but also in our own land, 



demonstrated. * * * But whatever By the removal of the forests from the 



mav be the causes operating, there can mountain slopes the ground is robbed of 



be 'little doubt as to the effect of the !LP'°l''!rfjrT"? ,°^ '"""[V "1°^^, leaves, 

 r ^ , 1,1 , , , ''nd porous soil, which forms the forest floor 

 sediment brought down by the annual and serves as a natural storage reservoir, 

 rainfloods." holding back the water of rainfall and melt- 

 On page 510 of the same report i"g snow, and compelling it to descend slowly 



Maj. Charles R. Suter, then in charge IfJ^nf tt'T''i- H^r'i.^''' subsequent cultiva- 



r ,1 • ^ 1 Ar- • ■ • *'o" of the lands, ditches and drams are made 



Ot the improvements on the Mississippi to facilitate the more rapid discharge froni 



