FOREST LANDS FOR THE PROTECTION OF WATERSHEDS. 45 



home cured, after a residence of nine months, and Pennsylvania is 

 the pioneer in that great work. New York has commenced to do the 

 same thing. New York to-day has a million and a half acres in her 

 reserves. Now, Pennsylvania is not asking the Government to pur- 

 chase any lands for them. I am here as a Pennsylvanian. 



The CHAIRMAN. I beg your pardon, but I thought there was a 

 project on hand to induce the Government to purchase a large tract 

 of land in the watershed of the Monongahela and Allegheny rivers. 



Mr. HARVEY. At a meeting at Pittsburg I believe that was con- 

 sidered. 



The CHAIRMAN. Do you know what sentiment there is back of it; 

 whether in case the precedent should be set, for example, by the 

 passage of this bill, we might expect next year to have a proposal 

 from Pennsylvania to buy a large area in that State? 



Mr. HARVEY. Mr. Chairman, I think the suggestion grew out 

 of some of the suggestions that were made to extend the Appalachian 

 reserve all the way up to Pennsylvania, to protect some of the waters. 

 Nothing much grew out of that. It was not a matter by which Penn- 

 sylvania was in anyway benefited, just as New Hampshire is not bene- 

 fited by the use of the waters that have their origin in the State of 

 New Hampshire. A number of our great rivers have their origin in 

 the mountains of Pennsylvania, in the Alleghenies. 



The CHAIRMAN. I made the remark only to call your attention to 

 the fact that the proposition which is now before us, of purchasing 

 tracts in the White and Appalachian mountains, is by no means all 

 that we are asked to consider. There are bills before this committee 

 calling for appropriations for similar purchases in a great many 

 other States, and while I think there is none from Pennsylvania, yet 

 I had understood that a movement was in abeyance there, merely 

 waiting favorable action upon this bill. 



Mr. HARVEY. I do not think that Pennsylvania is liable to seriously 

 urge that. I hope you gentlemen will excuse me for taking so much 

 of your time. I simply intended to act as the medium of introduc- 

 tion of the other gentlemen who are to be heard, and the next gentle- 

 man on our list is Professor Swain, of the technology school at Boston. 



STATEMENT OF PROF. G. F. SWAIN, OF THE MASSACHUSETTS IN- 

 STITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY. 



Professor SWAIN. Mr. Chairman and gentlemen of the commit- 

 tee, I had the honor of appearing before you last spring, and I was 

 in hopes that on this occasion it would not be necessary to call upon 

 me again, but that other experts might be brought in my stead. I am 

 very glad that Professor Van Hise appeared before you and that he 

 and others have said a good deal of what ought to be said much bet- 

 ter than I could say it. Since last spring there have been some new 

 things come up in regard to the relation of rivers and forests, and to 

 those I will refer somewhat briefly. 



The effect of the forests on the streams is concerned mainly with 

 the effect on the rainfall after it reaches the ground. That rainfall, 

 after it reaches the ground, is divided into three parts. One part 

 flows directly from the surface into streams, another part wets the 



