IRRIGATION CONSTRUCTION AND TIM- 

 . BER SUPPLIES 



BY 



ARTHUR P. DAVIS 



" Assistant Chief Engineer, United States Reclamation Service 



'X'HE relation of scientific forest protection and cul- 

 ture to irrigation may best be discussed and 

 appreciated b}^ considering its importance to the suc- 

 cessful operation of the Reclamation Act, which has 

 become by the logic of events, the main exponent of 

 irrigation development. 



The broad object of that law is the creation under 

 irrigation, of the maximum number of prosperous 

 homes. These homes will depend in a great degree 

 upon the forests, which are secondary in importance 

 only to the supply of water and land. 



The main reasons for the economic importance of 

 the scientific culture and preservation of the forests, 

 are the protection and regulation of the water supply, 

 the preservation of the lumber industry, and the con- 

 tinuation of the supply of wood for fuel and numerous 

 other domestic requirements. In all these the irrigator 

 is intensely interested, and all have an important bear- 

 ing upon his future prosperity. 



The utility of the forest cover in conserving the 

 water supply is generally recognized, and its impor- 

 tance is becoming more and more appreciated. The 

 protective effect of the mluch of leaves and twigs, and 

 the dark coolness of the forest shade, appeal to all as 

 beneficial regulators of run-off, and preventatives of 

 evaporation. Nor does it require scientific demonstra- 



