1905 



FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION 



367 



slopes around the headwaters of the 

 streams to be tapped, were properly 

 protected. For that reason it devoted 

 itself to the question of forestry and 

 urged that the forest reserves of the 

 state of California be materially in- 

 creased. Many obstacles were en- 

 countered ; in the Land Office in 

 Washington itself and also in educat- 

 ing the people of the state of Califor- 

 nia to the necessities of the case. The 

 work of the Water and Forest Asso- 

 ciation finally resulted in the with- 

 drawal by the President of the United 

 States in the year 1903 of all govern- 

 ment land on the headwaters of all 

 streams flowing into the Sacramento 

 \ alley. This meant a withdrawal of 

 approximately 10,000,000 acres. Large 

 quantities of this land have since been 

 surveyed and such portions as were 

 found unfit to be placed in a forest re- 

 serve were returned to the public do- 

 main. As fast as the surveys could be 

 completed forest reserves have been 

 made, and the next two vears will see 







permanent forest reserves covering 

 the watersheds of the streams in ques- 

 tion. That the Bureau of Forestry 

 has been enabled to accomplish so 



much in the State of California is di- 

 rectly traceable to the cooperation by 

 the State, as evidenced in the appro- 

 priations made by the past two legisla- 

 tures. 



In connection with forestry matters 

 the question of fire protection has re- 

 ceived the attention of the Water and 

 Forestry Association. At its instiga- 

 tion the U. S. Bureau of Forestry con- 

 ducted investigations which enabled 

 them to prepare a bill providing fire 

 protection in the state of California. 

 This bill in an amended form was 

 passed at the last session of the legis- 

 lature of the state of California and 

 received the approval of Governor 

 Pardee. The legislature also passed 

 acts enabling the different counties to 

 take legal measures for fire protection, 

 so that to-day California has, in the 

 opinion of experts, as good laws on 

 fire protection for its forests as exists 

 in any other state in the Union. While 

 the machinery is there, the laws have 

 not been yet put wholly in force. This 

 necessarily takes time ; but in the 

 hands of the energetic governor of the 

 state of California another year should 

 see the whole system in perfect work- 

 ing order. 



THE IRRIGATION INVESTIGATIONS IN 



CALIFORNIA OF THE OFFICE OF 



EXPERIMENT STATIONS 



BY 



ELWOOD MEAD 



Chief of Irrigation and Drainage Investigations, U. S. Department of Agriculture 



HE attractions of country life in 

 California will in time make it 

 the home of a dense rural population. 

 The seasons are marvelously adjusted 

 to the farmer's needs. Rain falls in 

 the winter when it is needed and is 

 withheld in the harvest season when 

 it would be an injury. The soil is re- 

 markably productive and there few, if 

 anv, countries in the world where so 



wide a variety of productions can be 

 found on the same acre of land. The 

 opportunities to enjoy life in the open, 

 afforded by the mild and agreeable 

 climate, makes the country attractive 

 to others than farmers. The number 

 of men of means, able to enjoy the 

 best there is in life regardless of its 

 cost, who are going to California to 

 do this is everv vear increasing and 



