1905 



FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION 



445 



ited by overflows of the stream, and 

 which in the rapid current melts away 

 almost like sugar. Piles driven into 

 it even a hundred feet in length are 

 quickly loosened by the swirling rush 

 and come bobbing to the surface in a 

 short time after thev are driven into 



place. The eroding waters eat into 

 the banks more rapidly than stone or 

 willow mattress can be placed, and the 

 builder sits hopeless as he sees the 

 water rushing swiftly around or under 

 or through his most ingeniously woven 

 contrivances. 



PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT URGES 

 SOUTHERN APPALACHIAN 



RESERVE 



Strong Plea Made in Raleigh Address for 

 Conservative Handling of Southern Forests 



"I" HAT the establishment of a na- 

 tional forest reserve in the south- 

 ern Appalachian Mountains is a mat- 

 ter of national concern was dwelt upon 

 with emphasis by President Roosevelt 

 in his address at Raleigh, N. C., on 

 October 20. He pointed out how vi- 

 tally southern forests affect southern 

 industries and thus the entire country. 

 His remarks on this point follow in 

 full: 



"I want to say a word to you on a 

 special subject in which all the country 

 is concerned, but in which North Car- 

 olina has a special concern. The pres- 

 ervation of the forests is vital to the 

 welfare of every country. China and 

 the Mediterranean countries offer ex- 

 amples of the terrible effect of defor- 

 estation upon the physical geography, 

 and therefore ultimately upon the na- 

 tional well-being of the nations. One 

 of the most obvious duties which our 

 generation owes to the generations 

 that are to come after us is to preserve 

 the existing forests. The prime diff- 

 erence between civilized and uncivil- 

 ized peoples is that in civilized peoples 

 each generation works not only for 

 its own well-being, but for the well- 

 being of the generations yet unborn, 

 and if we permit the natural resources 

 of this land to be destroyed so that we 

 hand over to our children a heritage 



diminished in value we thereby prove 

 our unfitness to stand in the forefront 

 of civilized peoples. 



"One of the greatest of these heri- 

 tages is our forest wealth. It is the 

 upper altitudes of the forested moun- 

 tains that are most valuable to the 

 nation as a whole, especially because 

 of their effects upon the water supply. 

 Neither state or nation can afford to 

 turn these mountains over to the un- 

 restrained greed of those who would 

 exploit them at the expense of the 

 future. We cannot afford to wait lon- 

 ger before assuming control, in the 

 interest of the public, of these forests ; 

 for if we do wait, the vested interests 

 of private parties in them may become 

 so strongly intrenched that it may be 

 a most expensive task to oust them. If 

 the Eastern States are wise, then from 

 the Bay of Fundy to the Gulf we will 

 see, within the next few years a policy 

 set on foot similar to that so fortunate- 

 ly carried out in the high Sierras of 

 the west by the national government. 

 All the higher Appalachians should be 

 reserved, either by the states or by 

 the nation. I much prefer that they 

 should be put under national control, 

 Imi it is a mere truism lo say that the\ 

 will not be reserved either by the states 

 or by the nation unless you people of 

 the South show a strong interest there- 

 in. 



