296 AMERICAN FORESTRY 



"(a) Upon the consolidation of slop- direct to sink into the soil and supply an 



ing grounds by preventing the disas- enduring feed to the springs?" 



trous washing off of materials to the Mr. Wolfschutz says: "When we 



bottom of the valley; sum up these discussions we come to 



"(b) Upon the formation and per- the conclusion that the existence of for- 



manency of springs, at least in im- ests and swamps will on the whole have 



permeable ground and on slopes ; a favorable influence on the water 



"(c) Upon the better regime of regime." 



rivers at least at the period of their Mr. Lauda, who has been extensively 

 low-water and ordinary flows." quoted in respect to certain observa- 

 Your committee prefer, however, that tions regarding floods in the Danube 

 these men should speak for themselves, and Seine, said at this congress : "First, 

 Mr. Keller says : "In many places and precipitation, retention, and discharge 

 especially in the Mediterranean Basin are connected by certain laws ; second, 

 and outlying districts, injurious changes the forest exerts an influence in any 

 have occurred in the nature of the soil, case on the flow of water ; third, the re- 

 owing to deforestation, and in some tention of the water precipitated is, in 

 special cases owing to the formation of a certain measure, greater in the more 

 swamps. These changes have had un- than in the less wooded basin." 

 fortunate consequences, among others And again he says: "A final judg- 

 an alteration in the regimen and flow ment on the subject of the influence ot 

 of waters." forests on the regimen of streams can- 

 Mr. Lafosse says : "The effect ot not be uttered, the experimental data 

 the destruction of forests, especially of possessed so far covering only a rela- 

 the woods on mountains, is to hurt the tively short space of time." 

 regimen of rivers and to lessen their And again : "The general utility of 

 discharge." the forests is so well settled * * as 

 Mr. Lokhtine says: "Forests form a means of protecting the soil against 

 a beneficent factor, acting favorably on earth slides in reducing the 

 the general abundance of water in a amount of sediment carried by the rivers, 

 country and particularly on the supply so important that these reasons alone 

 of springs and rivers; that is why the justify fully the greatest possible pro- 

 destruction of forests should be consid- motion of forest cover." 

 ered as hurtful and dangerous." These conclusions are in harmony 

 Mr. Ponti says: "Forests are al- with the opinions of a majority of en- 

 ways effective for holding steep slopes ; gineers and expert foresters who have 

 they are powerful auxiliaries for any appeared personally before your corn- 

 kind of work carried on with the ob- mittee and are in exact accord with 

 ject of reducing the volume of material the views of the American Institute of 

 which the water may carry off. * * * Electrical Engineers, composed of 6,300 

 Forests retard the flow of the rain to members, and the American Society of 

 the bed of the river and reduce its Civil Engineers, with a membership of 

 volume." over 4<5oo, both recognized as the lead- 

 Mr. Riedel says: "Is it necessary ing organizations of their kind in the 

 over and over again to draw attention rld ; ^ resolutions presented by 

 to the circumstance that the meteoric T hem tO the Agricultural Committee in 



, January, 1908, their views upon the ef- 



flow from the deforested slopes J fect o f f( / rests on the re ^ larity of 



the roof of a house, while in streamflow are unequivocally set forth, 

 torested expanses a large proportion of 



the moisture brought by the rain is RESOLUTION OF THE AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF 



caught by the crowns of the trees, ELECTRICAL ENGINEERS 



partly to evaporate and partly to fall WHEREAS the value of water powers is de- 



slowly to the ground, that it has more termined in great measure by regularity of 



,, i i " ow f streams, which regularity is seriously 



time than that which strikes the latter impaired by the removal of forest cover at 



