WATER 



93 



when the country was new, but with its development, 

 with the cutting away of woods and the denuding 

 of their banks, they become destructive and danger- 

 ous. Often the bottom lands of medium-sized streams 

 become waste land after the destruction of the forest. 



FIG. 17. THE UTILIZING OF A STREAM. Sketch showing parkway in city 

 following course of brook. 



The freshets gouge out the banks and hillsides con- 

 fining the stream, and distribute the material, sand, 

 gravel, and clay, upon the flooded land, making it use- 

 less for agriculture. The swollen creeks and rivers tear 

 out bridges, causing great loss and inconvenience. 

 The bottom land is really rich in plant-food, and usu- 

 ally has abundant moisture. The valleys are warm 



