1902. 



FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION. 



I II 



are no lakes and no dams of importance. 

 There is very little to affect the run-off 

 of water except the forest and other 

 vegetation. In all his work, since the 

 region was first settled, man has done 

 nothing worth mentioning that has had 

 a tendency to retard the run-off of water, 

 but his logging, clearing, road-making, 

 ditching, cultivation, and pasturing of 

 land all have tended to increase it ; 

 greatly increased floods have resulted, 

 and under present conditions may be 

 expected in the future. 



The river waters in the flood of last 

 May were five to ten feet higher than 

 ever known before, and when a similar 

 abundance of rain and ground water 

 combine again a greater flood ma}" be 

 expected. This will be the result un- 

 less we change our customs somewhat 

 and keep the surface of the earth better 

 covered, avoid making roads in stream 

 beds , leave brush and trees growing along 

 streams, and have ravines and gullies 

 obstructed by forest growth. Dams also 

 should be avoided, as, by bursting, they 

 increase floods. 



The value of the retarding effect of 

 forest debris is a factor very difficult to 

 determine. Mountaineers, who are close 

 observers of such matters, say the for- 

 est, especially where the ground is well 



covered by brush, leaves, and humus, 

 and where roots make the soil porous, 

 greatly retards the water and causes 

 more of it to soak into the earth, while 

 the cleared land, especially old pastures 

 where the earth is compacted clay, sheds 

 water rapidly. These thoughtful men 

 undoubtedly have the right view. I^vi- 

 dence on this point is abundant and can 

 be .seen b}- any one walking over the 

 ground. It is perhaps needless to di.scuss 

 it. Itissurprising, after looking over the 

 field, that the.se floods are unexpected to 

 anybody. There is abundant evidence 

 in the alluvial deposits along the water- 

 courses of the former volume and power 

 of the torrents before the mountains 

 were wooded. And wh}' should there 

 be surprise as we cause a return to that 

 condition by clearing away the forest ? 

 These effects are to be expected by every 

 reasoning person familiar with the cir- 

 cumstances. They are known to the 

 observing people of the region. Why 

 should the national government hesitate 

 in a policy to ease or prevent the in- 

 crease of these torrents while the adapt- 

 ability of these mountains to forest 

 growing, rather than agriculture, sup- 

 ports the reasonable demand of the 

 people for whatever protection can be 

 secured aarainst floods ? 



COLORADO FOREST FIRES IN 1901, 



By Henry Michelsex. 



THE autumn seasons in Colorado 

 are becoming longer, dr3'er, and 

 hotter as the denudation of the moun- 

 tains proceeds. The precipitation cer- 

 tainly is diminishing. The tables given 

 below are compiled from the reports of 

 the United States Department of Agri- 

 culture. 



The vegetation was so dry that fires 

 were started from locomotives as late as 

 the beginning of December, resulting in 

 two considerable conflagrations at the 

 foot of Mount Evans, north of the South 

 Platte Forest Reserve. 



FIRES IX FOREST RESERVES. 



The total number of fires in the re- 

 serves was 1 40, causing damage to timber 



estimated at $5, 375. This shows exceed- 

 ingly good work on the part of the forest 

 authorities. To guard 3,000,000 acres, 

 situated in a most broken country, with 

 a loss of less than a thousand acres of 

 live timber, is a feat denoting an admi- 

 rable organization. 



The only fire which might 

 Pikers Peak have had dangerous conse- 

 Reserve* quences originated at Ro.se- 



mont sawmill, in .section 

 13, township 15 south, range 68 west. 

 It commenced on the night of Septem- 

 ber 21 and burned until September 29. 

 The mill was situated at the bases of 

 Big Chief Mountain and Mount Rosa. 

 When discovered the conflagration had 

 gained so much headway that the set 



