240 



ARBORICULTURE. 



conditions have become fixed, with the 

 removal of the forests, is to< provide for 

 the excavation of the channel in the river 

 bed by deep dredging. 



By the use o'f dynamite, blow up the 

 limestone ledges which project from the 

 hills on either side into^ the river. 



Dredge out the gravel and sand bars, 

 so that the concentrated current will be 

 enabled to scour it deeply, and thus 

 maintain an even depth throughout the 

 length of the river. 



Then, instead of appealing to the Al- 

 mighty to interpose a miracle, as was 

 proposed by a resolution passed by the 

 Indiana Legislature, let all legislative 

 bodies take proper action toward the en- 

 couragement of forest retention hv the 

 land owners O'f the various States. 



By planting willows and various trees 

 along the margins of streams where ero'- 

 sion is constantly removing the fertile 

 lands of the farms, much of this will be 

 overcome, and a less quantit\' of mud be 

 deposited to fill the river bed. 



CONDITIONS AT IvAWRE;NCE;BURr., INDIANA. 



A complicated series of conditions 

 arises at Lawrenceburg. The White- 

 water and Miami Rivers join the Ohio 

 some twenty miles below Cincinnati, the 

 junction point having been adopted as 

 the initial starting point for the line sep- 

 arating the States of Ohio and Indiana, 

 and is but two miles or so from the town 

 of Lawrenceburg. Between the town 

 and the junction of the rivers is an exten- 

 sive, low-lying tract of river bottom. 

 The Miami enters the Ohio at an acute 

 angle, almost parallel with the larger 

 river, and when the Ohio is very high, a 

 freshet coming out of the Miami pours 

 its volume over that of the Ohio, strik- 

 ing the levee above Lawrenceburg with 

 terrific force, impelled by the great 



weight of water behind. Thus the or- 

 dinary height of the main flood is large- 

 ly increased upon the Indiana side, and 

 the impact is ver}- great as this current 

 strikes the embankment above the city. 



For more than a quarter O'f a century 

 I have urged the planting of a heavy belt 

 of timber along the base of this upper 

 levee, to assist in diverting the current of 

 this Miami overflow, but no impression 

 could be made upon r.ny of the citizens 

 to whom I appealed. 



Many thousands of dollars would have 

 been saved to the citizens by thus 

 strengthening t' e upper dyke. 



ILLUSTRATION OF CULLOm's RIFFLE. 



This is one of the most noted points 

 on the Ohio River as an obstruction to 

 low-water navigation. 



It is situated but a few miles below 

 Cincinnati. The river here is Inroad, 

 with a gravel bar extending entirely 

 across the ' river. The water is thus 

 spread out intO' a thin sheet, with a very 

 shallow channel, which has for many 

 }'eari' given great trouble to pilots and 

 boatmen. 



The dredging-out of a main channel 

 eight feet in depth would draw the cur- 

 rent from the shallow portion, and main- 

 tain a deep channel where greatly need- 

 ed. The Ohio' has during the centuries 

 cut its channel through the limestone 

 ledges which formerly extended entirely 

 across the valley, until now the abrupt 

 hills on either side of the river are from 

 four to five hundred feet above the river. 



As this process occurred, simultane- 

 ously every tributary stream cut through 

 the various strata, leaving their borders 

 high above the water. 



But it has been solely the force of 

 rushing waters which has plowed out 

 the deep channel and the bed in which 



