170 North American Forests and Forestry 



of detritus than in forested districts, and the low- 

 lands will gradually be rendered infertile by their 

 soil being covered, at every freshet, with a layer of 

 gravel and sand carried down from above. This 

 experience has been had, among other places, in 

 Pennsylvania, and has been among the chief reasons 

 which have led that State to enter upon a course of 

 reforestation at State expense. The State has be- 

 gun to purchase large tracts around the headwaters 

 of the Delaware, Susquehanna, and Ohio, with a 

 view towards preserving them as forests, so that the 

 harmful phenomena of over-erosion may be avoided. 

 For the present, the question of obtaining a reve- 

 nue from these lands by silvicultural operations is 

 not considered by the authorities, although that also 

 may come in time. Forests which are selected with 

 such particular regard to their protective effect are 

 likely not to be in such localities as would promise 

 a very good crop of timber or proper transportation 

 facilities. ]t need not be expected, therefore, that 

 private parties ever will find it expedient to protect 

 and manage them. In such cases it is absolutely 

 required that the public authorities assume the bur- 

 den, and maintain such forests even if they will be 

 a permanent drain upon the public treasury. The 

 money so expended will return into the pockets of 

 the people with interest, through the protection that 

 forests of this class afford to the welfare of man. If 

 the land in localities where forests are required for 

 protective purposes has already been transferred to 

 private hands, the only safe way for government is 



