I 9°5^ Pratt — Appalachian Forest Reserve. 157 



statesmen and our citizens realize and appreciate not only the 

 commercial value of the perpetuation of our forests, but also 

 the vast influence that these forests exert in the preservation 

 of the water supply of the country. Perhaps their most 

 noticeable influence is in mountainous and hilly countries, 

 which, when covered with abundant forests, prevent the soil 

 from being washed away and by the decay of their leaves 

 form a loam which prevents the waters from running off the 

 surface too rapidly. It is these forest-covered mountains that 

 are extremely valuable because of the effect they have upon 

 water supply and water powers. 



By the removal of the forests there is no longer a protec- 

 tion for the soil on the slopes of the mountains and hills 

 except that produced artificially in the form of ditches, etc. 

 There is no longer a layer or bed of leaves to act as an 

 absorbent for the water and a preventive to its evaporation 

 and it runs off for the most part as fast as it falls, causing 

 high freshets and floods and periods of extreme low water; 

 causing the streams and rivers to be higher at times of floods 

 but very much lower the greater part of the time than they 

 were before the removal of these forests. This is well illus- 

 trated at the present time in many parts of eastern United 

 States where many of the rivers are not navigable to the 

 extent that they formerly were and many of them are a con- 

 stant expense to the government in keeping them open to 

 navigation due to low water. While a great deal of harm has 

 already been done in this way, a still greater harm will be 

 done if the remaining forests are not protected. It is not 

 only the navigation of the streams and rivers that is hurt by 

 the removal of the forests but also the water supply for our 

 cities and towns. Many of our largest cities are already 

 beginning to find some difficulty in storing a sufficient supply 

 of water for their use. 



This preservation of the forests means also the mainte- 

 nance of the water powers, which, if reduced or destroyed, 

 will seriously injure many of our manufacturing interests. 



