﻿186 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  STATE 
  MUSEUM 
  

  

  influence 
  on 
  stream 
  flow. 
  Yet 
  this 
  proposition 
  has 
  also 
  been 
  dis- 
  

   cussed 
  pro 
  and 
  con 
  and 
  is 
  likely 
  to 
  give 
  rise 
  to 
  further 
  discussion, 
  

   and 
  the 
  conclusion 
  will 
  therefore 
  for 
  the 
  present 
  be 
  considered 
  

   tentative 
  in 
  its 
  character. 
  

  

  It 
  seems 
  to 
  the 
  writer 
  that 
  the 
  removal 
  of 
  forests 
  decreases 
  

   stream 
  flow 
  by 
  allowing 
  freer 
  circulation 
  of 
  the 
  air 
  and 
  by 
  caus- 
  

   ing 
  higher 
  temperature 
  and 
  lower 
  humidity 
  in 
  summer 
  and 
  so 
  

   producing 
  greater 
  evaporation 
  from 
  water 
  surfaces, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  

   from 
  the 
  ground. 
  

  

  That 
  the. 
  removal 
  of 
  forests 
  renders 
  stream 
  flow 
  less 
  equal 
  

   throughout 
  the 
  year 
  and 
  so 
  causes 
  floods 
  and 
  periods 
  of 
  dryness 
  

   in 
  rivers 
  seems 
  to 
  be 
  beyond 
  reasonable 
  question, 
  for 
  the 
  forest 
  

   litter 
  and 
  root 
  masses 
  serve 
  as 
  storage 
  reservoirs, 
  tending 
  to 
  

   equalize 
  the 
  flow 
  of 
  streams. 
  

  

  Space 
  will 
  not 
  be 
  taken 
  to 
  discuss 
  these 
  propositions, 
  because 
  

   very 
  little 
  can 
  be 
  added 
  to 
  previous 
  discussions. 
  The 
  reader 
  is 
  

   referred 
  to 
  the 
  Bulletin 
  No. 
  7, 
  of 
  the 
  Forestry 
  Division 
  of 
  the 
  

   Department 
  of 
  Agriculture 
  on 
  Forest 
  Influences, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  to 
  Dr. 
  

   Hough's 
  report 
  on 
  forests, 
  for 
  fairly 
  complete 
  discussions. 
  

  

  Forestation 
  of 
  the 
  Croton 
  catchment 
  area. 
  In 
  a 
  paper 
  1 
  read 
  

   before 
  the 
  American 
  Forestry 
  Association 
  in 
  1901, 
  Mr 
  Vermeule 
  

   proposes 
  the 
  question 
  whether 
  the 
  forestation 
  of 
  the 
  catchment 
  

   area 
  of 
  the 
  Croton 
  water 
  supply 
  is 
  advisable. 
  In 
  considering 
  this 
  

   question 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  pointed 
  out 
  that 
  if 
  the 
  Croton 
  catchment 
  were 
  

   forested, 
  there 
  is 
  no 
  probability 
  of 
  reaping 
  the 
  full 
  benefit 
  under 
  

   from 
  75 
  to 
  150 
  years. 
  

  

  For 
  the 
  sake 
  of 
  the 
  argument 
  we 
  will 
  assume 
  that 
  on 
  this 
  catch- 
  

   ment 
  in 
  120 
  years 
  the 
  full 
  effect 
  of 
  forestation 
  would 
  be 
  realized. 
  

   This 
  would 
  give, 
  as 
  an 
  average, 
  amincrease 
  of 
  from 
  4 
  to 
  6 
  inches 
  

   in 
  runoff. 
  For 
  the 
  purposes 
  of 
  this 
  discussion 
  we 
  may 
  assume 
  it 
  

   at 
  5 
  inches. 
  

  

  In 
  order 
  to 
  forest 
  the 
  catchment 
  it 
  would 
  be 
  necessary 
  to 
  acquire 
  

   the 
  entire 
  area, 
  which, 
  so 
  far 
  as 
  the 
  writer 
  can 
  ascertain, 
  could 
  

   hardly 
  be 
  done 
  for 
  less 
  than 
  flOO 
  per 
  acre. 
  Probably 
  the 
  price 
  

   would 
  be 
  much 
  greater 
  than 
  this, 
  but 
  to 
  avoid 
  an 
  overestimate 
  

  

  x 
  New 
  Jersey 
  Forests 
  and 
  their 
  Relation 
  to 
  Water 
  Supply, 
  by 
  C. 
  C. 
  Ver- 
  

   meule: 
  The 
  Engineering 
  Record, 
  Vol. 
  XLII, 
  No. 
  1 
  (July, 
  1901). 
  

  

  