2SS 



THE FORESTER. 



December, 



built exclusively for retaining debris and 

 curbing the power of the torrents. The 

 usual height of such structures, however, is 

 about 25 feet, and they are placed as near 

 to each other as the grade of the torrent 

 necessitates. Their effect is incidentally to 

 store water, as well as sand and gravel, for 

 the voids in gravel reservoirs of that kind 

 retain a considerable volume of water, 

 which is given off gradually to the stream. 

 Such work could be done to advantage 

 on every mountain stream in California, 

 and I have no doubt that similar works 

 will ultimately be undertaken in various 

 parts of the arid West as a necessity, al- 

 though it will require much agitation and 

 united public opinion to secure appro- 

 priations from the general Government 

 for such construction. The most impor- 

 tant work in hand is to take measures for 

 preventing further destruction, and thus 



avoid the necessity for extensive correc- 

 tion of erosion in our mountain slopes and 

 in our mountain streams. This costs less 

 than the subsequent correction, and is 

 more easily accomplished. 



When this is well in hand, and when 

 we have adojDted practical measures for 

 recovering our denuded mountain areas 

 with plant growth and for protecting the 

 forests we have left, a persistent effort 

 should be directed toward the bridling of 

 our torrents and the conversion of every 

 mountain canyon into storage resei'voirs. 

 In this way only will our water supply be 

 sensibly augmented and a large propor- 

 tion of the wealth of water, annually wast- 

 ing into the ocean or sinking in the des- 

 erts be retarded and retained for useful 

 ends. 



James D. Schuyler, 



Los Angeles, Cal. 



For an International Congress. 



Secretary of Agriculture Wilson has 

 addressed to M. Thiebaut, Charge d'Af- 

 faires of France, French Embassy, the 

 following note referring to the proposed 

 international Congress of Forestry at the 

 Paris Exposition : " Sir : As president of 

 the American Forestry Association, I have 

 the honor to transmit herewith a copy of 

 resolutions passed at the Columbus meet- 

 ing of the Association with the request 

 that you will have the kindness, through 

 your Government, to transmit them to M. 

 Meline." 



It is hoped the Commission Interna- 

 tionale des Congres Agricoles, through its 

 President, M. Meline, will call such a Con- 

 gress at Paris during the Exposition. 



This action is a part of the movement 

 begun some time ago, chiefly through the 

 instrumentality of Baron Herman, of the 

 German Embassv, to bring about the 

 compilation of forest statistics of all the 

 countries in the world, on a uniform basis. 

 The plan has already been approved also 

 by the American Association for the Ad- 

 vancement of Science and the National 

 Geographic Society. 



Economic Tree Planting. 



The effect of the sweeping winds on 

 the prairies is shown in the picture of the 

 single row of White Willow pollards, 

 near Ames, Iowa. These trees have been 

 permanently bent and their tops flattened 

 by the prevailing southwestern winds. 



The accompanying illustration is repro- 

 duced by permission from a photograph 

 in the proposed exhibit of the United 

 States Department of Agriculture at the 

 Paris Exposition of 1900, showing the re- 

 lation of Forestry to Agriculture. 



