32 THE SCHOOL BOOK OF FORESTRY 



watersheds of that section may entirely disap- 

 pear. Such a condition would cause floods after 

 every heavy rain. The available supplies of rain- 

 water which are needed for the thirsty crops 

 would be wasted as flood waters. These floods 

 would cause great damage in the valleys through 

 which they rushed. The freshets would be fol- 

 lowed by periods of water famine. The streams 

 would then be so low that they could not supply 

 the normal demands. Farmers would suffer on 

 account of the lack of irrigation water. Towns 

 and cities that depended on the mountain streams 

 for their water supplies would be handicapped 

 severely. In a thousand and one ways, a defi- 

 cient water supply due to forest depletion would 

 cause hardships and suffering in the regions ex- 

 posed to such misfortune. 



The important part which forests play in the 

 development of our country is shown by the fact 

 that from the streams of the National Forests 

 over 700 western cities and towns, with an aggre- 

 gate population of nearly 2,500,000, obtain their 

 domestic water supply. The forests include 1266 

 irrigation projects and 325 water-power plants, 

 in addition to many other power and irrigation 

 companies which depend on the Government tim- 



