208 



Inwcd h.v serious (li'outlis. sucli as the (Uic of this y(>jn-. frtMHiciitiy liiiishin^' 

 the (U'stniction ot much that the flood may have left. In southej-ji and 

 southeastern Indiana CuUiertson^ states that "less than 10 per cent, of the 

 original forest areas are still left intact." and the ori.sinal forests that do 

 remain have in most instances "not more than oO per cent, of their formei' 

 numl)er of trees." Other parts of the state that were forested are about 

 in the same condition. ( "ulliertson' also dr.iws attention to "the gradual 

 lowering of the ground water h'\el in all porticns of the State" and the 

 results of such a disastrous state oH alTairs. CuUtertson'" also points out 

 for the southern part of Indiana which he studied tiiat many "streams 

 that thirty years ago furnished altuntlant power for mills during ten 

 months of the twelve now ari' even without flowing water for almost half 

 the time." The same state of alfairs exists in most of the otlier deforested 

 parts of Indiana. It is not at all ditticult for one to recall springs and 

 streams that ran vigorously the entire year imt which no^^' are either 

 inactive or else run only during the wet season. 



Erosion is generally one ol' the most conspicuous and damaging results 

 of a flood in a deroresteri region. In lorei'^n cduntries wliicli luive lieeii 

 deforested for a long time, as for cxaiiiiiie China, great damage lias been 

 done. The same thing I have seen in Italy, a 'lart of whose once forested 

 surface is badly cut up by the rush of michecked floods. I'.ut in this 

 country, especially in the southei-n ii.irt of Indiana, erosion is vi'ry evident 

 and liottou'. l;inds that were not ero(le(] haxc been damaged or renderel 

 useless by debris and stones carried down fi'om deforested hills. 



.V statement from a United States hureMii" shows some of the results 

 of erosion. "According to the latest determinations (beginning with the 

 classic measurements of the Mississippi by Ilumjihreys and .\bbott ) the 

 rivers of the mainland ITnited States are ainuially ixuu'iiig into the seas 

 fully I.()(l(».(Mt(l,(iO(» tons of sediment. Tliis sediment is carried pai'tly in 

 solution but chiefly in suspension, in rhe .•ir).(KH).(M»(l.()00.()()(» cubic feet or 

 more of river water drained fi-om the rnited States and is additional to 

 the coirser d"trltus pushed or rolled along 1h(> sides of the swiftei stream-. 

 The volume of material thus lost to tin land is increasing with settlement 

 .ind cultivation: it is almost wholly \\ashe(l from the surface and is the 



•f 'iill)crt:;on, CIciin. Dcl'oictation ;in.l lis lOllVcIs Aiiionu I hi- Hills of Soullicrn IndiaiiM. .Mnili 

 \miiu:.1 l;i'i)"il I'f llif Stall" Hoard of Foivsiiy, WU)'.). p. (i ',. 



I. c, p. nr,. 

 "I.e., p. 71. 

 " Yearbook of tlic Depaitiuoni of .VnriculUiio, 1!)II7. p. S2. 



