﻿172 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  STATE 
  MUSEUM 
  

  

  In 
  riding 
  over 
  the 
  Pequannock 
  catchment 
  several 
  times 
  the 
  

   writer 
  was 
  much 
  struck 
  by 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  aside 
  from 
  the 
  main 
  

   valleys 
  there 
  are 
  no 
  gulleys 
  throughout 
  this 
  area. 
  The 
  record 
  

   shows 
  that 
  precipitation 
  is 
  frequently 
  very 
  heavy, 
  but 
  it 
  has 
  been 
  

   thus 
  far 
  without 
  effect. 
  The 
  indications 
  appear 
  to 
  be 
  that 
  the 
  

   rainfall, 
  however 
  intense 
  it 
  may 
  be, 
  sinks 
  almost 
  entirely 
  into 
  the 
  

   ground, 
  and 
  without 
  doubt 
  this 
  peculiarity 
  has 
  its 
  effect 
  on 
  the 
  

   runoff. 
  

  

  It 
  may 
  be 
  pointed 
  out 
  that 
  the 
  geology 
  of 
  Muskingum 
  and 
  Gen- 
  

   esee 
  rivers 
  is 
  substantially 
  the 
  same, 
  while 
  the 
  geology 
  of 
  Croton 
  

   river 
  is 
  entirely 
  different. 
  Nevertheless, 
  when 
  analyzed 
  by 
  aid 
  of 
  

   the 
  diagrams, 
  these 
  streams 
  are 
  all 
  seen 
  to 
  have 
  substantially 
  the 
  

   same 
  evaporation 
  and 
  runoff, 
  although 
  the 
  rainfall 
  on 
  Croton 
  

   river 
  is 
  different 
  from 
  that 
  of 
  Muskingum 
  and 
  Genesee 
  rivers. 
  

   Hudson 
  river, 
  however, 
  which 
  has 
  much 
  the 
  same 
  geology 
  as 
  Cro- 
  

   ton 
  river, 
  has 
  still 
  a 
  very 
  different 
  runoff 
  and 
  evaporation. 
  

   Oswego 
  river, 
  which 
  lies 
  in 
  a 
  different 
  formation 
  from 
  Genesee 
  

   river, 
  has 
  still 
  nearly 
  the 
  same 
  evaporation. 
  1 
  

  

  These 
  several 
  facts 
  favor 
  the 
  view 
  that 
  deforestation 
  is 
  the 
  real 
  

   cause 
  of 
  the 
  smaller 
  runoff 
  of 
  Muskingum, 
  Genesee, 
  Oswego 
  and 
  

   Croton 
  rivers. 
  

  

  Forests 
  

  

  Do 
  forests 
  increase 
  rainfall? 
  The 
  evidence 
  on 
  this 
  point 
  is 
  con- 
  

   flicting. 
  The 
  variation 
  of 
  the 
  observed 
  from 
  the 
  true 
  rainfall 
  

   being 
  so 
  great, 
  as 
  has 
  just 
  been 
  shown, 
  the 
  answer 
  to 
  this 
  question 
  

   must 
  be 
  regarded 
  as 
  very 
  uncertain. 
  It 
  has 
  been 
  discussed 
  by 
  

   Professor 
  Abbe 
  and 
  Dr 
  Hough. 
  2 
  The 
  following 
  summation 
  by 
  

   Dr 
  Hough, 
  although 
  made 
  26 
  years 
  ago, 
  may 
  be 
  accepted 
  as 
  

   expressing 
  the 
  fact 
  at 
  the 
  present 
  day. 
  

  

  The 
  reciprocal 
  influences 
  that 
  "operate 
  between 
  woodlands 
  and 
  

   climate 
  appear 
  to 
  indicate 
  a 
  close 
  relation 
  between 
  them. 
  It 
  is 
  

   observed 
  that 
  certain 
  consequences 
  follow 
  the 
  clearing 
  off 
  of 
  

   forests, 
  which 
  can 
  scarcely 
  be 
  otherwise 
  regarded 
  than 
  as 
  a 
  direct 
  

  

  lThe 
  evaporation 
  of 
  Oswego 
  river 
  is, 
  in 
  fact, 
  a 
  little 
  greater, 
  due 
  to 
  the 
  

   existence 
  of 
  large 
  marsh 
  areas 
  on 
  Oswego 
  river. 
  

  

  2Report 
  upon 
  Forestry, 
  by 
  Franklin 
  B. 
  Hough, 
  U. 
  S. 
  Department 
  of 
  Agri- 
  

   culture 
  (1877). 
  

  

  