DEFORESTATION IX SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 535 



tainly increase in value, it seems a matter for great regret that 

 mucli of the land carrying such timber should be held at a 

 ridiculously low figure per acre — perhaps only l|^d. or 2d. — for 

 grazing purposes, and that the occupiers of such land should be 

 able to do such an amount of damage by firing the country as first 

 indicated ; and yet the difficulties in the way of prevention are 

 so great, owing to the lack of recognition of the importance of 

 definitely repressive legislation in this matter, that little can be 

 done to prevent it. 



Regarding the effects of deforestation in this colony on springs, 

 Sec, there are yet no data available, as but scant interest has 

 apparently been taken in the way of making any observations ; 

 but it may safely be asserted that wherever the surrounding con- 

 ditions of springs as to forest cover in any degree correspond to 

 those in other countries where the removal of timber has produced 

 failure of the springs, there can be no warrant for expecting any 

 immunity from similar results as a consequence of similar causes. 



On the question of erosion of soil by the agency of rain rushing 

 over surfaces once timbered and now bare of timber ample 

 evidence can be found in various directions in this colony. I can 

 point to many spots Avithin the scope of my own observation, and 

 travellers by either the Northern or Southern railway, if trained to 

 close observation, can soon detect similar spots themselves. In 

 cases where undulating land of fairly steep grade has been cleared 

 of its timber and ploughed for, perhaps, years and then abandoned 

 to grazing much damage has been done, and the mischief has been 

 specially aggravated in cases where the furrows have run up and 

 dov/n the hill instead of all along it. Here the storm water, 

 falling unopposed on the soft ground, unprotected by the good 

 matted vegetation that would have existed but for heavy over- 

 stocking and cultivation, cuts its way without trouble deeper and 

 deeper every successive rain ; other rifts appear at brief distances 

 along the same hill side, and ultimately extend over a large area 

 which they render comparatively useless. Other instances might 

 be quoted, but enough has been stated to show that even in the 

 present early stage of this colony's history the evils which have 

 wrought such havoc in other lands are already definitely showing 

 themselves and reducing the question to one merely of time and 

 degree. 



With reference to floods, there can be no question that, to a 

 greater or less degree, the same causes that deluged the fertile 

 plains in other countries with rocks and debris, sand, and flood 

 drift are commencing their fearful work here ; if not, how is it 

 that the Torrens dam gets so silted up ? It is no answer to say 

 it is only sand, or that the flood deposit is rich alluvial soil that is 

 a vast benefit to many a dAveller by the river's course. The best 

 land is always washed from the uplands first; then the rocks and 

 stones. If the arood land has now for some time enriched some 



