1906 



FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION 



421 



a task, but in reality a pleasure. 

 When flooding is practiced, especial- 

 ly on new land, the water is hard to 

 control, the cost of labor is increased, 

 and damage to the land from water 

 is probable. 



Moreover, it is dangerous to at- 

 tempt flooding at night. By the cor- 



rugation method, water can be ap- 

 plied night as well as day with per- 

 fect safety. 



Besides, under the corrugation 

 method, there are no pools formed 

 in low spots the land receives wa- 

 ter uniformly, in the way and man- 

 ner desired. 



THE FOURTEENTH NATIONAL 

 IRRIGATION CONGRESS 



Held at Boise, Idaho, September 3~6 

 Large Attendance from Many States 



BY 

 LYDIA ADAMS- WILLIAMS 



r T' HE Fourteenth National Irriga- 

 * tion Congress, which was in ses- 

 sion at Boise, Idaho, during the week 

 beginning September 3, was largely 

 attended, and proved interesting and 

 instructive. There were in attendance 

 nearly 1,500 delegates, representing 

 forty States and Territories, besides 

 several governors of states, Senators 

 and Representatives in Congress, many 

 members of the United States Recla- 

 mation and Forest Services, and many 

 others prominent in the progress and 

 development of the country. 



Mr. Gifford Pinchot, Chief of the 

 U. S. Forest Service, who was the per- 

 sonal representative of President 

 Roosevelt at the Irrigation Congress, 

 bore a message from the President, 

 which, when read, showed such a 

 wealth of accomplishment and amount 

 of work done along the lines of na- 

 tional irrigation, as to astonish even 

 the most ardent supporters of the Gov- 

 ernment reclamation policy. 



One of the most eloquent addresses 

 delivered before the congress was that 

 of the Vice-President of the United 

 States, Charles Warren Fairbanks. 



In a forceful and masterly speech 

 which was listened to with the closest 



attention and which was punctuated by 

 frequent applause, the Vice-President 

 covered every phase of the great irri- 

 gation problems in which the Govern- 

 ment is now engaged, and affirmed his 

 life-long belief in the feasibility of na- 

 tional irrigation, as now contemplated, 

 in the arid and semi-arid regions. 



One evening of the congress was 

 given up to a discussion of the for- 

 estry question, which was enlivened by 

 a spirited debate engaged in by Mr. 

 Gifford Pinchot, Senator Heyburn, 

 Senator Dubois, Congressman Reeder 

 and others. 



Mr. Pinchot gave a lucid explana- 

 tion of the work of the Forest Service, 

 and of the purposes and aims of forest 

 reserves. His views were upheld by 

 Senator Dubois and Congressman 

 Reeder, and others. Senator Heyburn 

 made an attack upon the manner of 

 creating and regulating forest re- 

 serves. He was interrupted many 

 times, and questions, denials and con- 

 tradictions were hurled at him. Al- 

 though he parried all thrusts and 

 counter thrusts and made an eloquent 

 and impassioned speech, it was evi- 

 dent that the sympathies of the large 

 audience were with the forester and 

 the forest policy of the Government. 



