13 



ming, ColoradOj Utah, New Mexico, Arizoua, and southern California, 

 requires for agricultural purposes the aid of irrigation, regularity of 

 water-supplies is all-important. This is being tampered with when the 

 ground is laid bare on the mountain sides, allowing the rains to run off 

 as from a roof and permitting the snows to melt and their waters to 

 pour down in torrents at a time when more than enough water is on 

 hand and the husbanding of the supplies for a later season is highly 

 desirable. 



Other consequences, such as an increase of snow-slides and land-slides 

 and the washing of d6bris into the valley have begun to make them- 

 selves felt and it can only be a question of time when we must reach 

 such a state of things as was brought upon the mountain districts of 

 France, Switzerland, and the Tyrol, and which is too well-known to be 

 rehearsed agaiu. I will only mention that after entire communities had 

 been impoverished by the action of torrents due to deforestation the 

 Governments found it necessary to interfere, or rather, interfereuce com 

 ing too late, to assume or aid in the work of reforestation. Thus in 

 France it was found that 783,000 acres needed to be restocked for 

 reasons of public utility, besides the securing of 1,900 miles of torrents. 

 One hundred and three thousand one hundred and thirty-eight acres 

 of mountain land are reported already as put in condition by the Gov- 

 ernment at a cost of $4,365,750, outside of the cost of expropriations, 

 etc. To this must be added $1,116,643, which have been given to com- 

 munities and private owners in aid of similar works, and a further ex- 

 penditure of round $34,000,000 is expected to be necessary. Altogether 

 it is estimated that $30,000,000 have been expended to correct the evils 

 brought on by foolish disregard of nature's laws. For the year 1887 

 the appropriation for these purposes amounts to $794,000, the total ap- 

 propriation for the forest department of France being in round numbers 

 $5,000,000. 



The public land commission in 1883, recommending necessary changes 

 in existing land laws, says : " The timber lands should be sold. Will 

 not private ownershii), self-interest, best protect this class of lands'?'^ 



If the history of the countries just cited, if the forest lands in the 

 older settled parts of our own country, have not shown that this is a 

 fallacy, we may never expect to learn from experience. 



While the existing system of espionage and police may be " unpopu- 

 lar and un-American," as it undoubtedly is, it exists, not because 

 there is no other choice than sale, but because there are no adequate 

 provisions made to satisfy the requirements of lumber for actual and 

 commercial use, thus forcing the population to depredations. Settlers 

 and consumers of wood can not be expected to go to the woods and cut 

 their sticks when wanted, as in the pioneer days. They must have an 

 opportunity to supply their wants in a business manner, as they do in 

 all other needs of civilized life, through the agency of a middle- man — 

 in this case the lumberman or the saw-mill man — nor, with the absence 



