344 Forestry Quarterly. 



MISCELLANEOUS. 



Hill forests are frequently drawn upon to 



Forest furnish a water supply for towns and fac- 



Interests tories. Permission to enter a forest and 



and construct ditches to secure a water supply 



Water should be given only after a careful investi- 



Supply. gation shows that the water can be spared 



and after the conditions under which it is 

 to be taken are fully agreed upon between the forest owner and 

 the water user. Drainage may remove too much water and seri- 

 ously injure the stand; even the drainage which is a part of road 

 building may have deleterious results. The following are usually 

 the most essential points to be covered: (a) Courses: The head 

 ditches should be planned to remove the water from the damper 

 sites and should be led across the dryer to give them the benefit 

 of seepage water. Ditches should not pass through localities 

 liable to windfall, (b) Construction: Floodproof construction is 

 in the interest of both the forest owner and the water user. 

 Breaks are usually of greater permanent damage to the forest, 

 however, and the owner will do well to see that ditches are 

 properly constructed, Lattices where feeders enter the ditch serve 

 to catch rubbish and prevent clogging. Trow lattices are best, 

 (c) Bridges: Bridges are necessary to permit proper access to 

 the forest. Their location and construction should be definitely 

 agreed upon beforehand. The ditches are to be properly fenced 

 where they run beside the road and at other necessary places, (d) 

 Weirs: The streams emptying into the ditches should be provided 

 with weirs and the water in the natural courses never allowed to 

 dry up completely. Weirs should be firmly anchored to prevent 

 displacement, (e) Maintenance: Constant care is necessary to 

 remedy small damages before they become serious. Some care 

 can be given by the forest personnel, but the employment by the 

 water user of a competent person to care for the ditches is abso- 

 lutely indispensable, (f) Contingent Damages: The right to con- 

 struct ditches and take water from a forest will usually be given 

 at a fixed annual rental rather than sold outright. The value of 

 the land occupied will be calculated and a rental set, which repre- 

 sents interest on this value ; consideration must not only be given 

 the stand of trees which occupies the ground but to all other 



