1904 FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION 571 



portionate demand upon the forests chestnut poles the same length of time 



tor their renewal. showed a 10 per cent. loss. These poles 



In these new tests the poles will be are long and very heavv, and such a 



submerged in water for different peri- l arge we igh t reduction means a decid- 



^engthTf t^wt ^r^tr ^ ed s T g in - f r!r ha T' a , nd T 



sults. They will th?n be placed on "T ^ ^handling. But this ad- 

 skids about 2 feet above the ground Vantag6 ' thou & P ortant : small in 

 and left to dry. They will touch each c 7P ar ! son th the gam in lengthen- 

 other, but will be laid only one layer ed ServlCe ' / urther > wlth greater re- 

 deep. At the expiration of every thir- sistance to deca y !t will be possible to 

 ty days each pole will be weighed, and lm y er the P resent butt diameter re- 

 also measured to ascertain any shrink- quirement, which is now based on the 

 age of its circumference. Unsoaked certainty that rot will soon weaken the 

 poles have furnished a circumference power of the pole to withstand strain 

 shrinkage of one-sixteenth to one- at the surface of the ground. Alto- 

 eighth inch in thirty days, and of one- gether, if the soaking process fulfills 

 fourth inch in six months. what it seems to promise, it will have 

 An important matter in seasoning is a notable bearing on one of the large 

 the loss of weight. Past experiments branches of timber consumption, as a 

 with white cedar poles have shown a moment's thought of the number of 

 loss in weight of about one-third after poles in use in the enire country will 

 sixty days of drying. In the case of show. 



THE TWELFTH NATIONAL IRRIGATION 



CONGRESS 



Held in El Paso, Texas, in November Substantial 

 Attendance Text of Principal Resolutions 



The last day's session of the Twelfth desirous of taking part in the pro- 

 National Irrigation Congress at El ceedings of the congress along special 

 Paso, on Friday, November 18, was lines, to do so without entering into 

 when the actual business of the Con- discussions in which they had no im- 

 gress was accomplished. The previous mediate interest. 



sessions on Tuesday, Wednesday and A notable part was taken in the va- 



Thursday had been principally occu- rious sessions of the congress by Mr. 



pied in the discussions of certain va- Gifford Pinchot, Forester, United 



ried phases of irrigation, carried on States Department of Agriculture ; 



simultaneously in five sections, as fol- Mr. F. H. Newell, Chief Engineer of 



lows : "Production by Irrigation," the United States Reclamation Sur- 



Mr. I. D. O'Donnell, chairman ; "En- vey ; Gov. George C. Pardee, of Cali- 



gineering and Mechanics," Mr. F. H. fornia ; and Mr. George H. Maxwell, 



Newell, chairman ; "Forestry," Mr. Executive Chairman of the National 



Gifford Pinchot, chairman ; "Climatol- Irrigation Association, 



ogy," Prof. H. E. Williams; "Rural To those not present at the congress, 



Settlement," Mr. William E. Smythe, the last day's proceedings, with the 



chairman. adoption of the resolutions of the con- 



This division into general heads, gress, and definition of its policy in re- 

 centered the discussions on each 'par- gard to general and special phases of 

 ticular subject, and afforded those irrigation, will probably appear most 



