152 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



the other states. As to product— an individual system could only consider 

 individual interests, a state system could only consider state interests. 

 In neither case could national and general interests be provided for. As 

 to time — the most important forest product, lumber, requires a long 

 period of time to come to its highest economic value. One, two, and often 

 three or more generations must be born and die before a forest comes to 

 maturity. This fact makes it plain that no individual system can ever 

 adequately provide for the reproduction of the most valuable timber, re- 

 quiring scientific management covering many years of intelligent and 

 watchful care. That this care pays handsomely we know fromthe returns 

 of national forest management in Europe; but individual interests, es- 

 pecially in this country, even if capable of k uniform and broad policy 

 can never be expected to expend care and money for rewards to be en- 

 joyed only by generations yet unborn. 



While the first ground for a national forest management is important, 

 the second is essential. The second ground is based, first, on the 

 demonstrated necessity for the maintenance of a certain forest area 

 to secure the highest agricultural product from any given territory, 

 and, second, on the demonstrated necessity for a certain forest cov- 

 ering on watersheds. The first case is due to the influence of 

 forests on winds, frosts, climatic extremes and on their probable 

 effect on the character and distribution, if not on the quantity of the 

 rainfall. The second case is due to the influence of forests on the delivery 

 of rainfall into springs and streams. As any watershed is forested so is 

 the delivery of its rainfall affected. If it be adequately forested the rain- 

 fall will be detained and seep into the ground to appear in the springs 

 and streams in a perennial and even delivery; if it be denuded and bare 

 the delivery of the rainfall will be short in time and flood-like in char- 

 acter. The water courses in such districts always are of torrential 

 character. The rainfall tends to become diluvial in character and its 

 delivery is so in fact. The water delivery is alternately dangerous in its 

 excess, in its detritus carrying and detritus dumping, and in its erosive 

 power, while the sudden flood-flow of the rains precludes the possibility 

 of a perennial supply; the water is gone and the stream bed is now a 

 raging torrent, and now a dry and arid waste. Irrigation, domestic 

 water and the value of streams for navigation are all diminished or des- 

 troyed by an undue denudation of watersheds. 



Iteration has worn through the shell of prejudice and indifterence, and 

 reinforced by actual recent and recurring experience, has made California 

 a community demanding immediate forest protection for its watershed. 

 We favor the Paddock forest bill. At the same time we would have pre- 

 ferred our own bill introduced long years ago, which provided for the 

 withdrawal of all government lands in forest, and for a system of man- 

 agement of the same. The Paddock bill is probably a more practicable 

 measure. It provides for the management and care of forest reservations 

 made and to be made. It consequently looks to a policy of initiation 

 and growth and avoids the ditficulty of creating suddenly a large forest 

 force and changing all at once tHe entire neglect of and freedom from 

 depredation and waste in the government forest lands. On the other 

 hand, every day that passes reduces the government's forest holdings and 

 increases the waste due to carelessness and fire. The situation reminds one 



