NEWS AND NOTES. 



Forest Supervisor P. S. Lovejoy sends the following interest- 

 ing observations : 



"I have just been reading 'Forests and Water in the Light of 

 Scientific Investigations.' (Final Report of the National Water- 

 ways Commission), and thinking over what I knew that tended 

 to prove or disprove the conclusions of the report, my opinion 

 is that they are correct. 



Of course, the effect on run-off after fire, especially in the 

 case of small streams and springs in the irrigating country, 

 could be amplified indefinitely. 



The other day I noticed what I had never seen before and 

 what seems to give ocular proof of the theory of paragraph 3, 

 page 220, which states : 



"Another reason for greater precipitation over forests may be 

 the mechanical action of the trees themselves. When a cloud in 

 the mountains passes through a forest, the branches and the 

 leaves of the trees retard its movement. It comes, therefore, into 

 a state when it can no longer retain its moisture in suspension, 

 just as a river carrying sediment deposits part of it as soon as 

 the rapidity of its flow is diminished. The moisture from such 

 clouds is intercepted by the forest in the form of mist or drops 

 of dew or crystals of hoar frost on the branches and foliage of 

 the trees," 



The weather had been very hot and dry and the roads were 

 very dusty. Heavy clouds came in from the Strait of Juan de 

 Fuca toward the Olympic mountains early in the morning. It 

 did not rain a drop, as was shown by the dust of the road, but, 

 on the lee side of all the tall fir trees which stood on the Strait 

 side of the road, the road dust was wetted down by fine drops. 

 This was not under the trees only, but in the lee in a pattern 

 in dust of the same shape, but of the reverse character as if there 

 had been a light rain under the same wind conditions, i. e., while 

 with precipitation the pattern would have been dry, in this case 

 it was wet and its surroundings dry, an inverse rain pattern. 



Ranger Chris Morgenroth, of Port Angles, Wn., an old timer 

 and good observer, informed me that the occurrence was not at 

 all unusual on the Olympic peninsula." 



