154 EORESTRY AND IRRIGATION April 



and corn. If used for fruit growing, to The prospects for further accomplish- 



which they are specially adapted, they ment and the necessity for further 



may have a far greater value. appropriations will be matters for dis- 



No engineering difficulties are ex- cussion. 



pected in the work. The natural reser- ?t 

 voir will have to be enlarged and canals 



built for the inlet and outlet of the Nebraska Mr. C. A. Scott writes 

 waters. It is estimated that the cost planting from the planting re- 

 of constructing the reservoir and bring- Resumed. serve at Halsey, Ne- 

 ing the water to the arid lands will ap- braska, March 20, 

 proximate $240,000, or $20 an acre for Everything here has wintered in 

 a minimum acreage of 12,000. It is fine condition. We sustained a slight 

 believed, however, that nearly 15,000 loss in seedling jack pine and the Call- 

 acres will be served. forma species, but in general the seed- 

 lings wintered well. 



** ' For two weeks the weather has 



Destruction While Spain still fur- b f en favorable, and we have already 



of Italian nishes 32,800 tons of Panted about 10 acres of sandhills, and 



Cork Forests, cork annually, the pro- have the S ro " nd P lowed for our imr ' 



duction of Italy has de- ser y ws. The Planting is done with 



creased to 4,000 tons. The Value of s ^ ed fr m hand corn-planters. I have 



the Spanish exports of cork amounts to student assistants and one laborer 



$6,000,000 per year, against less than present. 



$250,000 for Italy. Only Sicily and ^ 

 Sardinia are still producing cork to any 



considerable extent in Italy, while the Hydrology in The U. S. Geological 

 former great oak forests of Calabria are California. Survey is investigating 

 almost totally destroyed. It seems in- the underground water 

 comprehensible that this destruction has resources of the Southwest. In south- 

 been permitted. The trees easily reach western California, where the surface 

 an age of two hundred years. They streams have been highly developed, 

 yield cork in their thirtieth year and the hope of future increase in the water 

 continue to do so every seven years, supply can only be found in the under- 

 Seventy-five years ago the English de- ground waters. During the past year 

 mand for cork was supplied exclusively Mr. Homer Hamlin has compiled rec- 

 from Italy. The destruction of the re- ords of the wells and is making a study 

 maining forests goes on uninterruptedly, of the extent of the artesian basins, 

 and nobody seems to try to prevent it or Extensive experiments have been car- 

 to plant new trees. Italy has the most "ed on to determine the velocity of the 

 favorable soil and climate possible for underground waters by actual measure- 

 this industry, the volcanic soil of the ment of the rate of flow. Investigations 

 peninsula being considered an important are also being made by Mr. W. C. 

 factor in the development of high-grade Mendenhall, geologist, the idea being 

 cork. to combine an engineering and geolog- 



^t ical study of these situations. 



All the wells in the district are being 



Water and The annual meeting of located upon topographic maps, the 

 Forest the California Water depth of water determined, and the out- 

 Convention, and Forest Association put and elevation of the water plain 

 will take place April 22 contoured upon the topographic map, 

 at the rooms of the Chamber of Com- which will probably be issued within a 

 merce, San Francisco. few months. Records have been corn- 

 Reports are expected from the gov- piled from over 5,000 wells. It is be- 

 ernment officials who have charge of lieved in many districts of southern Cal- 

 the cooperative forestry work carried ifornia there has been an overdevelop- 

 on by the state and the United States. ment of these underground waters, 



