﻿HYDROLOGY 
  OF 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  185 
  

  

  per 
  year 
  1 
  in 
  the 
  way 
  of 
  forest 
  products 
  ; 
  or 
  since 
  for 
  47,620 
  square 
  

   miles 
  there 
  are 
  30,47(3,800 
  acres, 
  we 
  may 
  say 
  that 
  the 
  forest 
  

   products 
  would 
  be 
  worth 
  about 
  $61,000,000 
  per 
  year. 
  But 
  accord- 
  

   ing 
  to 
  the 
  United 
  States 
  Census 
  of 
  1900, 
  the 
  agricultural 
  products 
  

   of 
  New 
  York 
  were 
  worth 
  $245,000,000 
  per 
  year, 
  or, 
  as 
  an 
  average, 
  

   about 
  $8 
  per 
  acre. 
  It 
  is 
  absurd, 
  therefore, 
  to 
  discuss 
  the 
  refor- 
  

   estation 
  of 
  the 
  whole 
  State 
  of 
  New 
  York 
  in 
  order 
  to 
  increase 
  the 
  

   low-water 
  flow 
  of 
  streams 
  and 
  to 
  decrease 
  the 
  hight 
  of 
  floods. 
  

   Were 
  this 
  to 
  be 
  done 
  the 
  productive 
  capacity 
  of 
  the 
  State 
  would 
  

   be 
  reduced 
  over 
  $180,000,000 
  per 
  year. 
  

  

  The 
  long-time 
  element 
  in 
  forestry 
  may 
  also 
  be 
  taken 
  into 
  ac- 
  

   count, 
  and 
  the 
  following 
  statement 
  by 
  Mr 
  B. 
  E. 
  Fernow, 
  Director 
  

   of 
  the 
  New 
  York 
  State 
  College 
  of 
  Forestry 
  of 
  Cornell 
  University, 
  

   is 
  pertinent. 
  2 
  

  

  The 
  one 
  thing 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  forestry 
  business 
  differs 
  from 
  all 
  

   other 
  business 
  is 
  the 
  long-time 
  element, 
  for 
  it 
  takes 
  a 
  hundred 
  

   years 
  and 
  more 
  to 
  grow 
  trees 
  fit 
  for 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  the 
  engineer, 
  the 
  

   builder 
  and 
  the 
  architect 
  ; 
  hence, 
  the 
  dollar 
  spent 
  now 
  in 
  its 
  first 
  

   start 
  must 
  come 
  back, 
  with 
  compound 
  interest, 
  a 
  hundred 
  years 
  

   hence. 
  

  

  In 
  view 
  of 
  this 
  statement 
  it 
  is 
  well 
  to 
  keep 
  in 
  mind 
  that 
  refor- 
  

   estation 
  will 
  be 
  substantially 
  without 
  effect 
  for 
  fifty 
  years 
  and 
  

   of 
  only 
  partial 
  effect 
  in 
  one 
  hundred 
  years, 
  and 
  that 
  for 
  its 
  full 
  

   effects 
  in 
  increasing 
  the 
  flow 
  of 
  a 
  stream 
  about 
  one 
  hundred 
  and 
  

   Hfty 
  years 
  must 
  elapse. 
  In 
  many 
  parts 
  of 
  New 
  York 
  the 
  flood 
  

   flows 
  of 
  streams 
  are 
  very 
  destructive 
  — 
  a 
  conservative 
  estimate 
  

   places 
  the 
  loss 
  in 
  1902 
  at 
  over 
  $3,000,000. 
  The 
  question, 
  therefore, 
  

   may 
  be 
  asked, 
  Must 
  we 
  wait 
  from 
  one 
  hundred 
  to 
  one 
  hundred 
  

   and 
  fifty 
  years, 
  while 
  forests 
  are 
  growing, 
  in 
  the 
  meantime 
  suffer- 
  

   ing 
  nearly 
  every 
  year 
  from 
  the 
  devastating 
  effects 
  of 
  extreme 
  

   floods? 
  

  

  Whatever 
  question 
  there 
  may 
  be 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  influence 
  of 
  forests 
  

   on 
  rainfall, 
  there 
  is, 
  in 
  the 
  opinion 
  of 
  the 
  writer, 
  none 
  as 
  to 
  such 
  

  

  ^th 
  An. 
  Rept 
  of 
  Forest, 
  Fish 
  and 
  Game 
  Commission 
  of 
  New 
  York, 
  for 
  

   1900, 
  p. 
  96. 
  

  

  'The 
  Forester, 
  an 
  Engineer, 
  by 
  B. 
  E. 
  Fernow. 
  In 
  Jour, 
  of 
  Western 
  Soc. 
  

   of 
  Engrs., 
  Vol. 
  VI, 
  No. 
  5 
  (Oct. 
  1901). 
  

  

  