2OO 



AMERICAN FORESTRY 



CHECKING FLOODS IN THE FRENCH ALPS 



Holding the slopes by sirips of willow and grass after completion of engix 

 neering work. The barrages in the stream channel have become so covered 

 with loose rock as to be inconspicuous 



him in every possible way 

 is essential to the devel- 

 opment of a new country, 

 yet when that country is 

 once pretty well built up, 

 there are certain limits be- 

 yond which the individual 

 should not be allowed to 

 go without a certain small 

 measure of restraint. 



In France a considerable 

 period elapsed before the 

 effects of this deforesta- 

 tion was felt. But gradu- 

 ally a realization of the ex- 

 tent of the damage from 

 which the people were suf- 

 fering was brought home 

 to them. Certain rivers 

 which formed important 

 arteries of commerce were 

 being silted up and were 

 thus choking the commerce 

 dependent upon them, and 

 many prosperous little vil- 

 lages in the mountains 

 were threatened with de- 

 struction by over-hanging 

 masses of earth and rock. 

 In many cases small 

 streams from these moun- 

 tains had become intermit- 

 tent raging torrents carry- 

 ing down enormous bould- 

 ers and masses of debris 

 to overwhelm the prosper- 

 ous communities in the val- 

 ley, causing not infrequent 

 losses of human life. 



By 1882 public senti- 

 ment had become so strong 

 that a bill was passed 



pectecl when an extremely paternalistic authorizing work to be carried on to 

 form of government is succeeded by an prevent these floods, and appropriating 



extremely laissez-faire or individualis- 

 tic form. It may be noticed in passing 

 that this extreme laissez-faire policy has 

 persisted to the present clay not only in 

 France but more particularly in the 

 United States. And it has been only 

 within the last few years that the people 



$600,000 annually for this purpose. 

 Thus in addition to the incalculable 

 damage already suffered a heavy ex- 

 pense was to be incurred, for it must 

 be remembered that this annual expense 

 would inevitably extend over a consid- 

 erable period of years. Already at 



of this country have begun to realize least $17,000,000 have been spent and 

 that, although the policy of giving the an enormous amount of work of far 

 individual a free hand and encouraging reaching benefit to the country as a 



