1899. 



AMERICAN FORESTRY ASSOCIATION. 



181 



meagre support as the Regents of the 

 State University could spare. 



In our laws in regard to carelessness 

 with fires in the mountains, we are woe- 

 fully behind the times. We have two 

 laws on the subject, one passed in Feb- 

 ruary, 1872, and the other in March, 

 1891. Both are ineffective, as we know 

 by the number of fires, and by the few 

 arrests and convictions. Section 3345 

 of the Political Code, which provides 

 that constables may call out persons 

 subject to poll taxes to fight fires, with- 

 out providing any penalty if they don't 

 respond, or any payment if they do, il- 

 lustrates the impotence of our laws on 

 this subject. 



As the object of this convention is to 

 formulate some policy to be pursued in 

 the matter of forestry in furthering the 

 good national work so well begun, espe- 

 cially in this district, under Supervisor 

 of Forest Reserves, Col. B. F. Allen, 

 the views of each one may help ; there- 

 fore, I recommend, so far as California 

 is concerned : 



First. That the National Government 

 be given every aid and encouragement 

 possible in its efforts to protect the 

 forests in the reserves. 



Second. That protection be supple- 

 mented with a proper system of propa- 

 gation that the denuded portions be re- 



covered as proposed by Mr. T. P. Lu- 



kens. 



Third. That the State revise its laws 

 in regard to carelessness and malicious- 

 ness in firing forests, etc., to the end 

 that offenders may be detected and 

 guilty persons punished. 



Fourth. That our forest experiment 

 station work be broadened from mere 

 existence to a field of usefulness that 

 will discover, propagate and distribute 

 the trees best adapted to the various 

 mountains, foot-hills, mesas, valleys and 

 other conditions of the State ; perhaps 

 founding additional forest stations on 

 Mount Hamilton and Mount Lowe. 



Fifth. By perennial appeals to the 

 people, through this and all other or- 

 ganizations, as well as through the press, 

 for them to plant trees, plant trees, 

 plant trees and then take care of them ; 

 impress upon them that individual action 

 should come first in all things, and the 

 State and nation are to aid where indi- 

 vidual effort cannot go. 



Sixth. Plant trees. 



Seventh. Take care of your trees. 



Eighth. Plant trees. 



Ninth. Take care of your trees. 



Tenth. Plant trees. And my forty 

 other recommendations are the same as 

 these. W. S. Melick, 



Los Angeles, Cal. 



Water Conservation in Soils. 



Being a Paper Read at the Summer Meeting. 1899. 



(number two of the series.) 



Most individuals have general ideas 

 upon special subjects, the whys and 

 wherefores of which they pretend to 

 know nothing about e. g., any one can 

 analyze a face to the extent of saying : 

 " That is an honest man," or " I would 

 not trust such a one." And yet if the 

 criticiser should be called upon to give 

 the minute details of the face, he would 

 probably, in nine cases out of ten, be 

 incapable of specifying objectionable 

 points, or, at least, of defining why they 



are objectionable. So in regard to our 

 mountains ; we often hear that they are 

 the great reservoirs which store up our 

 water and enable us to irrigate our fer- 

 tile valleys during the dry season. It is 

 to show why this is so that I propose to 

 give the results of a few simple experi- 

 ments, in regard to the porosity of soils 

 and their absorptive and retaining pow- 

 ers for water. 



In the first place let me remark that 

 there are comparatively few cisterns or 



