24 FOREST LANDS FOR THE PROTECTION OF WATERSHEDS. 



for no reserve land, we are cooperating on the lower reaches of the 

 rivers and spending our money to a certain extent; but, as I stated 

 before, the State can not possibly out of its limited treasury be ex- 

 pected to provide for the large tract of land that would be required 

 at the headwaters of the rivers. 



Mr. POLLARD. I fully agree with you in that, but through a coopera- 

 tive arrangement, the States being willing, could not the Government 

 exercise the right of supervision in those States and obviate the 

 necessity of purchase? 



Governor GUILD. I do not think it would be possible, sir, to obviate 

 the necessity of expenditure from the National Treasury. 



Mr. POLLARD. You do not understand my question. 



Governor GUILD. Possibly not. 



Mr. POLLARD. I did not mean that the expense should all be shoul- 

 dered upon the States. I meant that the Government should share its 

 proportion ; but to obviate the necessity of purchase, permit the forest 

 lands to remain in the hands of the present owners and permit the 

 Government to go in there and cooperate with the States, with their 

 permission, which I understand would be necessary, and then we 

 would exercise the right of supervision, the Government bearing a 

 portion of the expense, or, so far as I am concerned, I would not 

 object to its bearing all of it, and accomplish the same end, but 

 obviate the necessity of purchase. 



Governor GUILD. I do not think that could be obviated, sir. We 

 have had practical experience in my own Commonwealth, and we 

 have actually bought out of the state treasury tracts of forest lands 

 and established them as reserves in the Commonwealth, and mere 

 supervision of the land has not seemed to be possible. But if you 

 will pardon me for a moment, sir, we were in the midst of some 

 expert testimony, and I am afraid we are getting off the track. 



Mr. POLLARD. The reason I asked the question was because it bore 

 directly on your statement. 



Governor GUILD. I thank you very much. 



STATEMENT OF DR. C. R. VAN HISE Continued. 



The CHAIRMAN. Doctor, if you will permit me, I would be glad to 

 ask you two or three more questions developing facts along the line 

 we were discussing before the adjournment. When a slope has been 

 cleared and farmed until it is so eroded as to become useless for 

 farming, what becomes of it under present conditions? 



Doctor VAN HISE. Under present conditions it does and would, in 

 most humid areas, reclothe itself in time with vegetation, and finally 

 with timber, but that frequently will not happen until the disinte- 

 grated material is practically all gone down into the streams and 

 there has been very extensive wash. But in general it is true I do 

 not wish to in any way avoid, the difficulties that in these humid 

 areas, if there is any soil left, they" trill reclothe themselves with 

 vegetation. 



Governor GUILD. After how many years? How long does it take? 



Doctor VAN HISE. Of course it depends on whether you mean just 

 the shrubbery or mean trees. 



Governor GUILD. I mean trees. 



