13 



IJ^mOWC TlO/f. 



There is a notable lack of forest literature in the English language 

 Recent works on Forestry in English are the "Primer of Forestry, " 

 a public document and a most valuable work by the Government For- 

 ester, Mr. Gitford Pinchot, and a volume received by us, as this treatise 

 is going through the press, entitled "North American Forest and For- 

 estry," by Ernest Brucken. The circulation of other works has been 

 inadequate to awaken any general interest. Yet in the Far West, 

 forestry is closely related to the development and to the life of the 

 country. The improvements and occupation of the vast empire of the 

 arid public lands are dependent upon the preservation of the water- 

 holding power of the forests on the mountains. These are the natural 

 reservoirs. 



In the Western Forests the prevention of torrents and the preserva- 

 tion of perennial water supply overshadow all other forest questions, 

 except in the western part of Washington and Oregon and in North- 

 western California. In these districts the timber supply is paramount. 

 The rapid exhaustion of the Forests in other portions of the United 

 States is forcing attention to this rich timber resource. It is a pleas- 

 ing thing to note that the general tendency throughout this district 

 is toward a more rational and scientific system of lumbering. There 

 is plenty of room for improvement. The lumbering in these superb 

 forests has been on most reckless and wasteful methods. The forests 

 have been cut and burned without regard to the future, neglecting 

 even present safety. 



Sheep packing Forest land so that it sheds water and cannot absorb 

 it is demonstrated by the practice formerly prevalent in Southern Cal- 

 ifornia of puddling and rendering the reservoir bottoms water tight by 

 driving sheep into the excavations. This method was effective. From 

 this we can perceive the effect of large bodies of sheep on watersheds. 

 Fires diminishing water-holding power of mountain water sheds is well 

 understood by all forest students. There is another effect that has 

 been recognized in Southern California by a number of careful ob- 

 servers and carefully checked up. This is the cementing up of our 

 torrent-cones by the ashes washed down from the mountains after 

 fires. This detritus fills the interstices of the gravel and sand and 



