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  NEW 
  YORK 
  STATE 
  MUSEUM 
  

  

  In 
  addition 
  to 
  the 
  territory 
  thus 
  outlined, 
  the 
  Board 
  is 
  willing 
  

   to 
  make 
  purchases 
  of 
  forest 
  land, 
  if 
  offered 
  at 
  a 
  reasonable 
  price, 
  

   on 
  the 
  mountain 
  ranges, 
  including 
  the 
  peaks 
  known 
  as 
  Black 
  

   Head, 
  Black 
  Dome, 
  Thomas 
  Cole; 
  Acra 
  Point, 
  and 
  Windham 
  High 
  

   Peak. 
  These 
  are 
  the 
  mountains 
  which 
  are 
  in 
  full 
  view 
  from 
  the 
  

   Hudson 
  River 
  valley, 
  between 
  Hudson 
  and 
  Saugerties. 
  These 
  

   ranges 
  could 
  not 
  well 
  be 
  included 
  in 
  the 
  boundary 
  previously 
  

   referred 
  to, 
  as 
  they 
  are 
  separated 
  by 
  wide 
  valleys 
  that 
  are 
  entirely 
  

   occupied 
  by 
  well-cultivated 
  farms, 
  several 
  villages 
  and 
  a 
  large 
  

   population. 
  1 
  

  

  The 
  preceding 
  figures 
  show 
  that 
  the 
  total 
  amount 
  of 
  land 
  in 
  the 
  

   Adirondack 
  and 
  Catskill 
  parks, 
  proposed 
  to 
  be 
  purchased 
  and 
  held 
  

   as 
  public 
  parks 
  forever, 
  is 
  5,090 
  square 
  miles. 
  As 
  regards 
  the 
  

   purchase 
  of 
  these 
  lands 
  for 
  park 
  purposes, 
  the 
  writer 
  wishes 
  to 
  

   express 
  the 
  fullest 
  sympathy, 
  but 
  as 
  regards 
  the 
  conservation 
  of 
  

   streams 
  and 
  prevention 
  of 
  floods, 
  that 
  is 
  quite 
  another 
  question 
  — 
  

   one, 
  indeed, 
  permitting 
  of 
  somewhat 
  broad 
  discussion. 
  While 
  it 
  is 
  

   conceded 
  that 
  forests 
  are 
  of 
  considerable 
  value 
  in 
  this 
  direction, 
  it 
  

   is 
  nevertheless 
  believed 
  that 
  the 
  effect 
  has 
  been 
  overestimated. 
  

  

  In 
  1901 
  the 
  purchase 
  of 
  lands 
  by 
  the 
  Forest 
  Preserve 
  Board 
  was 
  

   discontinued, 
  Governor 
  Odell 
  vetoing 
  the 
  appropriation 
  on 
  the 
  

   ground 
  that 
  we 
  need 
  to 
  know 
  a 
  great 
  deal 
  more 
  about 
  the 
  results 
  

   and 
  effects 
  before 
  proceeding 
  further 
  on 
  these 
  lines. 
  Since 
  that 
  

   veto 
  there 
  has 
  been 
  a 
  good 
  deal 
  of 
  discussion, 
  but 
  without 
  much 
  

   clarifying 
  the 
  subject. 
  

  

  Effect 
  of 
  foi~ests. 
  The 
  difference 
  in 
  runoff 
  between 
  a 
  forested 
  

   and 
  a 
  deforested 
  area 
  in 
  New 
  York 
  iState 
  may 
  be 
  taken 
  at 
  an 
  

   average 
  of 
  5 
  inches. 
  That 
  is 
  to 
  say, 
  when 
  forested 
  with 
  dense 
  

   forests 
  of 
  spruce, 
  pine, 
  balsam 
  and 
  hemlock, 
  the 
  runoff 
  will 
  be, 
  

   roundly, 
  5 
  inches 
  per 
  year, 
  2 
  more 
  than 
  it 
  will 
  when 
  deforested, 
  but 
  

   in 
  order 
  to 
  secure 
  such 
  result 
  the 
  entire 
  catchment 
  area 
  of 
  a 
  stream 
  

   must 
  be 
  in 
  dense, 
  primeval 
  forest. 
  It 
  will 
  not 
  do 
  to 
  have 
  a 
  few 
  

   hundred 
  square 
  miles 
  at 
  the 
  headwaters 
  in 
  primeval 
  forest 
  and 
  

  

  ^rom 
  4th 
  An. 
  Kept, 
  of 
  Forest 
  Preserve 
  Board, 
  p. 
  14. 
  

  

  2 
  The 
  average 
  annual 
  runoff 
  varies 
  from 
  about 
  23.26 
  inches 
  on 
  Hudson 
  

   river 
  to 
  about 
  14.2 
  inches 
  on 
  Genesee 
  river. 
  Hence, 
  the 
  excess 
  runoff 
  due 
  

   to 
  forests 
  is 
  21 
  per 
  cent 
  of 
  the 
  average 
  annual 
  runoff 
  on 
  Hudson 
  river 
  and 
  

   35 
  per 
  cent 
  on 
  Genesee 
  river. 
  

  

  