1 68 



ARBORICULTURE 



There are few rivers flowing into the 

 Mississippi in its lower course, but there 

 are nunuTous bayous, tortuous in their 

 passage, wliicli convey the water through 

 swamps, finally reaching the Gulf of 

 Mexico. 



When the river rises in its highest 

 stage the levees become soft and yielding 

 and frequently a crevasse occurs under 

 the enormous weight of water, submerg- 

 ing thousands of acres. 



This relieves the strain from the levees 

 elsewhere and usually lowers the water 

 enough to prevent similar losses farther 

 down the river. 



In 1897 there were 15,800 square miles 

 of this alluvial plain beneath the sea of 

 waters ; 380,000 people were residents of 

 the flooded area ; 39,500 farms were sub- 

 merged, with 3.800.000 acres of farm 

 land. 



Millions of dollars have been ex- 

 pended by the government and the sev- 

 tral states of the South, in constructing 

 levees, as in high-water the Mississippi 

 is far higher than the surrounding lands. 



Other millions have been used in dam- 

 ming up the outlets to this great river, in 

 order to maintain a navigable , stage 

 through the bar at the principal estuary. 



Here are two opposing conditions for 

 which money has been lavishly ex- 

 pended, levees to hold the waters in a 

 confined channel, and obstructions at the 

 rivers' outlets which must necessarilv 

 prevent a rapid disposition of the flood 

 waters. 



When to these overflowing streams of 

 the eastern water-shed there comes from 

 the Rocky mountains the melting snows 

 and from Texas and Colorado the cloud- 

 bursts, which frequently occurs, through 

 the Arkansas, Red and Canadian rivers 

 and from the more northerly Platte, Yel- 

 lowstone and Missouri, the antagonistic 

 works of man must give way before the 

 terrible influences of Nature. 



But why all this waste of water when 

 every drop that falls as rain or snow is 

 needed by the growing population of the 

 states of the West ? 



REMEDY. 



By a systematic re-aflforestation of the 

 mountain regions and the planting of 

 trees on the plains at headwaters of 



these western rivers, and the construc- 

 tion of extensive storage reservoirs to 

 supply water for irrigation, this country 

 must be vastly improved in agriculture, 

 manufactures benefited by water power, 

 and navigation improved by a regularity 

 of flow in various streams; a recurrence 

 of such disastrous floods in the South 

 would be impossible, as relieved of the 

 surplus water of the \\csk'rn streams, 

 which back up and retard the flow of 

 the great ^Mississippi, the Ohio would be 

 fully competent to carry away the waters 

 of its drainage area. And with a proper 

 systematic rc-aft'orestation of the Alle- 

 gheny and eastern mountains, and the 

 broken lands along the various streams, 

 the forces of Nature could be easily over- 

 come and tlie nation be forever bene- 

 fited. 



Is it not time the statesmen of the 

 South should unite with those of the arid 

 West and formulate some practical 

 scheme for storing these waters as in 

 Egypt and India. And also in a system 

 of afiforestation throughout both East 

 and West, in order that these surplus 

 waters may be made to serve our country 

 instead of mastering it. 



Untold millions have been appropri- 

 ated to be spent in a foreign land, for the 

 benefit of Europe and other countries, 

 but of questionable utility for America. 



A fraction of this immense sum would 

 be of immense benefit to the United 

 States for all time to come, if properlv 

 expended in controlling the waters and 

 regulating their flow, as well as for irri- 

 gatibn of the land. 



The illustrations in Arhoriculture 

 are mainly photographed by the editor in 

 his travels. The camera used is the East- 

 man Cartridge Kodak, making a 7x5 

 picture. This is one of the best cameras 

 made by Eastman and its character 

 may be judged by the views secured by 

 an amateur. 



A lifetime is required to become a pro- 

 ficient photographer, but George Eastman 

 has made it jK^ssible for even one who 

 knows nothing of photography to secure 

 creditable pictures where the services of 

 an exi)ert are not obtainable. We com- 

 mend this camera to our friends. 



