AFFORESTATION OF WATERWORKS CATCHMENT AREAS. 225 



In April 1902, the Niobrara and Dismal River forest reserves, 

 containing altogether 208,902 acres, were established for the 

 purpose of making a systematic trial at afforestation. The 

 Department of the Interior has invited the Department of Agri- 

 culture to undertake the work, which is now fairly begun. 



The following extracts from a recent report of the United 

 States Department of Agriculture show, further, how vigorously 

 the subject is being dealt with in that country: — 



"The States of New York, Pennsylvania, and Connecticut have recently 

 acquired extensive areas of non-agricnltural land, and are now engaged in the 

 work of foresting them. The State of New York especially is undertaking 

 work of great magnitude. Within the Adirondack Preserve are about 60,000 

 acres of burnt-over waste land which it is planned to reforest. A beginning 

 was made last year by the planting of 750 acres, and it is proposed hereafter 

 to plant at the rate of 1000 acres per year until the wasteland is covered. 

 Nurseries for the growing of seedlings are now being established. 



"The State of Michigan last year set aside a tract of 60,000 acres of cut- 

 over pine land for an attempt at systematic forestry. 



" The Kansas State Board of Agriculture reports 142,984 acres of planted 

 forest in 1900. Nebraska claims over 200,000 acres." 



While these active measures are being taken in America, 

 and large sums of money are being spent in protecting and 

 restocking old forests, in planting new areas, and in training 

 expert foresters, the British Government is still hesitating and 

 inactive. 



Last year the late President of the Board of Agriculture 

 appointed a Departmental Committee to inquire into and report 

 as to the present position and future prospects of forestry, and to 

 consider whether any measures might be taken for their promo- 

 tion and encouragement. That Committee has issued its report, 

 which contains many valuable recommendations, but there ai'e no 

 signs yet of effect being given to those recommendations. 



One of the recommendations is, " That the attention of corpora- 

 tions and municipalities be drawn to the desirability of planting 

 with trees the catchment areas of their water-supply," and it is to 

 the important field thus suggested for the promotion of Forestry 

 that I desire to call special attention in this paper. There are no 

 available statistics from which I can give the exact areas of the 

 watersheds from which supplies are collected for waterworks 

 purposes, but in prejjaring evidence for the Forestry Committee, I 

 estimated the total area to be about 576,000 acres, irrespective of 



