1905 



FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION 



349 



rains have wet the beds thoroughly, 

 trees are carried in deep cans or pails 

 in which there is sufficient water to 

 submerge the roots, and but one taken 

 out at a time. To permit the roots of 

 conifers to dry is to destroy them. 

 The tree must be planted carefully, 

 and the dirt well packed about the 

 roots, leaving the tree in center of a 

 little basin which we fill with litter or 

 mulch, to assist them in weathering 

 the long dry months. It will be use- 

 less to plant late ; they must have the 

 benefit of the winter rains to establish 

 a good root growth. 



In selection of species, little regard 

 is paid to their economic value as a 

 lumber tree. AYhat is needed is a 

 great mass of large roots to form in- 

 numerable dams beneath, and a 

 spreading dense growth to shelter the 

 surface from sun and wind to prevent 

 evaporation. 



For the most exposed and desolate 

 slopes we plant the knob cone pine 

 (Piiiiis attcmtata}, indigenous on the 

 poorest, hottest slopes of the moun- 

 tains from the San Bernardinos to 

 Shasta. It has the commendable trait 

 of holding its seeds hermetically sealed 

 in cones for the future, and the calam- 

 ity that causes the death of the tree, 

 liberates the seed to plant a greater 

 area than existed before. The big 

 cone spruce which once covered the 

 greater area of our mountains below 

 5,000 feet, and is indigenous only in 



Southern California, is in great favor 

 and will be used largely. Also the big 

 cone pine (Pi nits Coulteri), .is desir- 

 able to plant with the above two spe- 

 cies, on the hard places. On north- 

 erly slopes the incense cedar (Liboce- 

 drns dccnrrcns)- is used, also oaks. 

 Above 5,000 feet we can use the vari- 

 ous forms of yellow pine (Finns pon- 

 dcrosa'), sugar pine (Finns Lamber- 

 tiana) , shore pine (Finns contorta), 

 and lumber pine (Finns fle.vilis), 

 though but few species will grow out 

 of the zone in which we find them. 

 However, the incense cedar, big cone, 

 and knob cone are grateful for the op- 

 portunity to grow at any altitude. 



We are experimenting with a few 

 each of many exotic species of brush 

 and trees ; especially promising at this 

 time are found to be deodar cedar 

 (Ccdnis deodara], Jerusalem pine 

 (Finns halepensis), and martini e pine 

 (Finns martima). 



Only long patient study and hard 

 labor can bring success in this work. 

 There should be funds for more ex- 

 tended and thorough work. The past 

 winter has been favorable, as a good 

 rainfall distributed over six months 

 has rendered the trees planted last 

 winter are promising well. 



It is gratifying to know that the 

 Department has faith in the ultimate 

 success of our efforts to reforest, 

 which they have shown by establish- 

 ing other nurseries. 



GENERAL OUTLOOK FOR RECLAMA- 

 TION WORK IN CALIFORNIA 



BY 



J. B. LIPPIN^OTT 



Supervising Engineer, U. S. Reclamation S(i\ir< 



HE work of the United States Re- 

 clamation Service in California, 

 at the present time, is confined chiefly 

 to three principal areas, namely, the 

 valleys of the Lower Colorado, Kla- 

 niath, and Sacramento Rivers. 



The Yuma project on the Lower 

 Colorado River includes the valley 

 lands of the Colorado and Gila Rivers 



in the vicinity of Yuma, Arizona, and 

 portions of the Yuma Mesa which it is 

 proposed to irrigate by pumping. 



The Laguna Dam for regulating the 

 water supply and controlling the silts 

 of the Colorado River is to be of the 

 Indian weir type, built of loose rock 

 with cut-off walls of concrete and 

 sheet piling. The clam site is about 12 



