FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION 



keep up their agitation an agitation as 

 childish as the speech of the western 

 Senator referred to above but the 

 chorus of approval from the sensible, 

 patriotic men and women of America 

 will drown their feeble pipings in it- 

 swelling volume. 



Changing Our Tide 



READERS of FORESTRY AND IRRII.A- 

 TIOX will have noticed, on the cover 

 <>f the last few numbers of the m;i 

 zine, the forecast of a change in title. 

 In shadow- form the word "Conserva- 

 tion'' has appeared across the face of 

 the old name, and thi- shadow-forecast 

 has grown stronger and stronger until, 

 with this month, the old name pa-- 

 into the background and is overshad- 

 owed by the new. \Yith the Septeni' 

 issue of the magazine, the title will In- 

 changed completely, and the new one. 

 "Conservation," with the explanatory 

 sub-title. "Woods and Water-: Soils 

 and Ores," will take its place. 



There are many reasons for this 

 change of title, and a few words of ex- 

 plantation are due the members of the 

 American Forestry Association and the 

 subscribers and readers of the magazine. 

 For some time it has seemed to those in 

 charge of affairs that the title FORESTRY 

 AXD IRRIGATION does not fully cover the 

 ground : that the magazine, as well as 

 the Association, stands for more than 

 these two features of the broad plan of 

 national conservation of natural re- 

 sources. Waterways and water-powers 

 are to be conserved ; soils are to be 

 cared for and kept from wasting into 

 the rivers and the sea: coal, iron ore. 

 and other minerals are to be safe- 

 guarded and so used as to insure, both 

 to the present generation and the gen- 

 erations to come, the fullest possible 

 benefits from the mines of the country. 

 And at the same time, the forests of 

 the land must be taken care of. new 

 forests established, devastated tracts 

 covered once more with trees, so that 

 the waterways may become again ar- 

 teries of travel, rather than choked-up 

 drains or roaring floods. Forested 



watersheds and hillslopes mean equa- 

 ble water-flows and clarified streams, 

 that can bear on their bosoms fleets of 

 steamers and barges. The reestablish- 

 ment of a large water traffic means a 

 lessening of the drain upon the iron 

 mines and the coal beds; so that the 

 plan of forest conservation, carried to 

 its logical conclusion, means more to the 

 nation than any other question that now 

 faces us. Forest-crowned watersheds 

 and forested slopes mean an increased 

 and a continual, rather than an intermit- 

 tent, flow of water in the streams and 

 the rivers, and they mean, too, preven- 

 tion of the silting up of the rivers, the 

 mill-ponds, and the harbors into which 

 the rivers empty. These things mean, 

 in turn, the reestablishmcnt of a vast 

 inland water traffic, and this, again, 

 means a lessening of the prodigal drain 

 upon our mines of coal and iron, a les- 

 -ening of transportation charges, and 

 an incalculable lengthening of the life 

 of the nation's natural resources. 



These things being true, it was de- 

 cided some time ago that it is time for 

 the American Forrstry \ssociation to 

 take a definite stand in the forefront of 

 those who demand that a program of 

 conserva'ion be instituted and carried 

 out to the uttermost. Forestry and irri- 

 gation are two vital points in the con- 

 vation program, but they are not the 

 'iily ]>( lints, by any means. The broader 

 idea of conservation embraces forestry, 

 irrigation, and all the other points we 

 have mentioned ; therefore, it has 

 seemed fitting that the magazine, the 

 official publication of the American 

 1 'ore-try Association, should indicate in 

 it- title the widening scope of the work- 

 that is before the Association. Expres- 

 sions of opinion from individual mem- 

 bers of the Association have so far been 

 entirely approving ; we invite other 

 members to write us, discussing the 

 change and giving their views as to 

 what the Association and the magazine', 

 under its new title, should stand for. 

 We have mapped out a plan of cam- 

 paign reaching many months into the 

 future ; we are endeavoring to give to 

 our readers a better and a broader 

 magazine than they have ever had be- 



