10 MISCELLANEOUS CIRCULAR, 94, U. S. DEPT. OF AGRICULTURE 



duction, and they will repay the effort a thousandfold as protectors 

 of valuable watersheds. Without forests or forest cover there can 

 be no well-regulated supply of water for hydroelectric development, 

 for irrigation, or even for municipal and domestic use. 



EAGLE CREEK FALLS, ELDORADO NATIONAL FOREST 



Water, in California, is the " white coal " of industry and the " gold " of agricultural 

 prosperity. Without forests or forest cover there can be no well-regulated supply of 



Power for transportation, industry, and the home is a prime 

 necessity of our civilization. Hydroelectric power, however, is a 

 development of the present century. The Forty-niners, with inex- 

 haustible energy, laid the foundation of many of the present power 

 and irrigation systems. They knew no obstacle when it came to 

 building reservoirs for storing water and ditches to lead it to their 



