1902. 



FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION. 



239 



REPRODUCTION EXTENDING FROM THE EDGE OF THE FOREST ON AN OLD SHEEP RANGE. 



mountains and some of the level mesas 

 and excluded from the rough southern 

 slopes. 



The Black Mesa Forest Reserve is one 

 in which the object in view in its estab- 

 lishment was as much for the purpose 

 of securing favorable conditions of water 

 flow as for the protection of the timber. 

 The location of the reserve being away 

 from the railroad or any means of cheap 

 transportation, it will probably be some 

 time before there will be any extensive 

 lumbering carried on within its limits. 

 The only cutting which has been done 

 so far was either for local use by the 

 settlers near the reserve or for the mines 

 at Clifton and Morenci. On the other 

 hand, the conservation of the water is 

 of immediate and vital importance. 



The future development of agricul- 

 ture in Arizona depends entirely upon 

 a successful plan for storing the water 

 supply. The rainfall varies greatly with 

 each season, and is much heavier in the 

 mountains than in the lower valleys. 

 From obseiA'ations covering a number 



of years, the normal rainfall of the Salt 

 River Valley is placed at 7 inches, while 

 at Camp Apache, on the south slope of 

 the mountains and in the edge of the 

 timber belt, the average rainfall is 20 

 inches. The general character of the 

 mountain range being volcanic, a large 

 proportion of the water from the snow 

 which falls during the winter is absorbed 

 and seldom causes floods of any conse- 

 quence during this season, except when 

 in the early spring snow is followed by 

 rains or warm winds. As the amount 

 of new land which can be brought under 

 cultivation depends entireh' upon suc- 

 cess in saving the water, it is important 

 that every condition which affects it 

 should be investigated. 



In the controversy between the citi- 

 zens of Maricopa county and those of 

 the northern counties over the question 

 of grazing in the forest reser\'es, it has 

 been claimed that the canals of the Salt 

 River Valley were being filled with silt 

 and debris, and that this was caused by 

 the cutting: awav of vast areas of timber 



