AFFOEESTATION OF CATCHMENT AEEAS 73 



provisions and bye-laws, a considerable number of corpora- 

 tions have taken steps to become owners of their own 

 watersheds." In 1903, 102,615 acres were known by 

 Parry to have been compulsorily acquired by Act of 

 Parliament, a figure considerably increased since that date. 

 Manchester was the first corporation to acquire complete 

 ownership of a catchment area, namely, that of Thirlmere ; 

 but the price paid for the land was exorbitant. The 

 acquisition of Thirlmere was much opposed at the time, as 

 it was foolishly supposed that the scenery would be 

 affected by the necessary waterworks. The pipes and 

 conduits are now covered by vegetation. Ruskin, maddened 

 to extravagance by the disfigurement of nature by modern 

 industrialism, held that as Manchester produced no art, no 

 literature, it had taken " to steal and sell for a profit the 

 waters of Thirlmere and clouds of Helvellyn." Birmingham 

 has absolute ownership of part of the basin feeding the 

 Elan and Claerwen. Liverpool owns all the Vyrnwy 

 gathering ground. Leeds in 1896-1897 obtained special 

 powers to purchase compulsorily farms on their catchment 

 area in the Washburn Valley. Unfortunately on a con- 

 siderable number of gathering grounds in Britain habitations 

 and farms have not been abolished, chiefly owing to the 

 large sums necessary for their purchase by the corporations, 

 who in such cases usually own only the reservoirs. 



The question now arises in what way ought catchment 

 areas to be utilised, as it is impossible to leave them barren 

 and unprofitable. Parry says : " In order to reduce to a 

 minimum the risks of polluting the water in a manner 

 likely to produce disease, the first object must be to limit 

 the resident population to the lowest number reasonably 

 practicable. This cannot be accomplished if agricultural 

 operations are allowed to be carried on in the ordinary 

 way, for no really satisfactory measures can be devised for 

 the disposal and treatment of the sewage of resident 

 populations of farmers and labourers with their families, 

 and the pollutions from shippons and farmyards, so as to 

 permit of the effluents being discharged into the watercourses. 



