232 J. H. MAIDEN. 



river; unless measures are taken to prevent the expansion of the 

 improvements, which have already been carried beyond the limits 

 of a wise economy." 1 



Professor Fernow says: — 



"The present policy of forest destruction and of allowing our 

 waters to run to waste, not only entails the loss of their beneficial 

 action upon plant production, but permits them to injure crops, 

 to wash the fertile mould from the soil and even to erase and 

 carry away the soil itself." 



And again: — 



"Here the comparative lengths of the affluents alone may 

 become all important, since the simultaneous or non-simultaneous 

 arrival of flood waters may determine the occurrence or non- 

 occurrence of floods. As far as the forest cover is concerned in 

 such cases, deforestation in one side of the valleys and consequent 

 rapid discharge may become an advantage for the water to flow 

 in the main river, by allowing its removal before the arrival of 

 the flood waters of another affluent. In view of these consider- 

 ations it would therefore, be folly to assign to the condition of 

 the forest cover in the catchment basins an all determinative 

 function. Nevertheless, in general the influence of favourable 

 forest conditions in the catchment basin upon river flow cannot 

 be doubted, although it may become practically of no account in 

 abnormal floods. ... In the torrent of Bourget, which had 

 been reforested and corrected in its bed, a simple, somewhat 

 turbulent run of water was observed, which at the overflow 

 reached the height of 45 centimeters (18 inches) and lasted about 

 three hours. The report thus continues : — 



"The facts show the importance of the forest cover. Thanks 

 to the dense growth planted, the flood waters, divided in numberless 

 runs and retarded constantly in their movement over the declivities 

 in the upper basin, arrive only successively and little by little in 

 the main bed, instead of these formidable masses of water and 



1 Peppercorne, op. cit. 



