1902. 



FOREvSTRY AND IRRIGATION. 



27 



pose, it is hard to remove this prejudice, 

 and hence there has been practically no 

 local demand for the reserv^ation of such 

 land. I am pleased, however, to state 

 that the government has included some 

 valuable brush land within the bound- 

 aries of the present forest reserves. 



Recently a movement has been inau- 

 gurated by the Arizona Forest and 

 Water Protective Association to attach 

 large areas of this class of forested lands 

 to the forest reser\'es. It is certainly a 

 step in the right direction, and it is to 

 be hoped that this organization will be 

 able to mold sentiment and awaken the 

 interest this subject deserves. 



Obser\^ation must lead one to the con- 

 clusion that nature seldom, if ever, grew 

 a tree where it was not needed. Espe- 

 cially is this true in the West. Even 

 in the Middle States the farmer often 

 wrecked his iron constitution in destroy- 



ing the stumps of forest trees which 

 would be worth today twenty times the 

 value of his farm. The Arizona pioneer 

 should at least think twice Ijefore apply- 

 ing the ax, and more than that proverb- 

 ial period of reflection before applying 

 the torch to the brush lands or giving 

 them over to the now popular Angora 

 goat. 



That the majestic forest trees, the 

 pride and glory of our mountains, may 

 unfold their buds and wave defiance to 

 storm and drouth, the shrubl^ery and 

 lesser forest about their base must be 

 preserved. As the flower of Napoleon's 

 great army was always surrounded by a 

 picked and tried skirmish line, so must 

 our forests be guarded by a tenacious 

 and vigorous forest co\'er, which will 

 stay erosion, conser\'e moisture, and so 

 establish conditions favorable to natural 

 and artificial irrigation. 



VIEW TAKEN IN A GI.ADE IN THE CAPITAN MOU.NTAIN.S, NEW MHXICO, TEN 



MINUTES AFTER A SUMMER SHOWER, SHOWING THE WATER BREAKING 



THE SOD ON A CATTLE TRAIL, MAKING THE FIRST WASH 



OR CUT IN THE VAI.LKY. 



