1905 



FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION 



371 



led to its abandonment after eight 

 years of existence. 



For ten years following, progress 

 was slow. Interest in the subject con- 

 tinued to increase ; the more rapidly 

 as irrigation developed, destruction in- 

 creased, and the mountains became the 

 resort of immense numbers of health 

 and pleasure seekers ; but there was 

 lack of practical organization. Appeals 

 were made by clubs and individuals 

 and several laws were on the statute 

 books, but there was little provision 

 for their enforcement. 



These conditions prevailed until the 

 present state administration came into 

 power, when Governor Pardee, a man 

 of unusual public spirit and foresight, 

 became actively interested, and an ar- 

 rangement was made for a study of 

 the problem by the Bureau of Fores- 

 try, the expense of which was borne 

 jointly by the state and the Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture. Besides the ac- 

 cumulation of much valuable scien- 

 tific and practical information con- 

 cerning forest conditions, this resulted 

 in the passage by the last legislature 

 of a bill creating a Board of Forestry, 

 and providing for a state forester and 

 two assistants. This act also contains 



several unusually well drawn sections 

 for the prevention of fire, a notable 

 one authorizing state forest officers 

 to draft citizens for fire fighting with- 

 out compensation and fixing a severe 

 penalty for refusal. 



Since this act has but just gone into 



effect, and 



organization 



thereunder 



has hardly begun, it is too early to 

 record results. The policy, however, 

 will be to make fire protection the im- 

 portant feature at first. Wardens will 

 be appointed as fast as possible, and 

 every effort made, by practicable dem- 

 onstrations of fire-lines and patrol in 

 selected localities, and by giving wide 

 publicity to the laws, to arouse public 

 opinion to a fuller realization of both 

 the possibility and necessity of fire pre- 

 vention. Enforcement of the fire laws 

 will be strict, but with allowance- when 

 necessary, for the local conditions and 

 methods which often make well-meant 

 but too sudden and drastic reforms 

 unproductive of good. The develop- 

 ment of planting and technical meth- 

 ods of forest management will follow, 

 but will be considered secondary in 

 importance until better assv ranee of 

 fire protection warrants the i.-xpense 

 thev mav involve. 



FIELD WORK IN IRRIGATION 



Work of the Office of Experiment Stations in California in 1 9Gb 



BY 



SAMUEL FORT1ER 



Irrigation Engineer in charge Pacific District 



C LWOOD MEAD, 



the International 

 Congress at St. Louis 

 marked that 

 sided subject." 



in addressing 

 Engineering 

 in 1904, re- 

 is a many- 

 Those of us who have 



irrigation 



had to do with the different branches 

 of this subject in western America 

 during the past twenty years realize 

 the truth of this statement. In laying 

 the foundation of so vast an industry, 



the builders of a quarter of a century 

 ago had but a crude idea of what the 

 super-structure would prove to be. In 

 their minds irrigation consisted of di- 

 version dams and ditches, and the task 

 each community set about accomplish- 

 ing was to divert water from a nearby 

 stream on some uncultivated, but fer- 

 tile, mesa. Brimful of hope, they im- 

 agined that with the completion of 



