Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1900-12-08

i'AiiNi iit'ii ~ "'I"N -
forest covering protects the soil in the
following ways:
Il, BY preventing rain from falling
directly upon the soil, the foliage of the
tree crowns intercepting and breaking
the force, the water reaches the soil
more gently from the leaves and along
the branches and trunks of the trees.
( -. BY interposing a loose cover or
mulch or litter formed by the fallen
| leaves and branches, which break the
| direct force of the rain drops and Ike cps
the soil from being compacted or pud-
died by their blows.
20. The deeply penetrating roots, and
holes left from decaying stumps and
| roots of trees assist in this under
| ground drainage.
a. The litter with the stumps and
| projecting roots and trunks of trees
prevent the water from rapidly running
over the ground and from gaining hat
| momentum and force which is neces-
sary in order to erode and gully the soil.
go. The forest cover prevents the
| drifting and rapid thawing of snow.
thereby insuring more even distribu-
ton of the water and an increase in the
time in which it can percolate or be alb
sorbed into the soil. If The forest floor
is not disturbed by fire, nor the litter
trampled and compacted by cattle, it
always reduces rapid surface drainage
| and largely. if not entirely, prevents
erosive action.
Just as deforestation of hillsides and
hill tops is the most effective cause for
inducing erosive action, S o is reforest-
alton the most effective e in cur
ing the evil. This has been demonstra-
ted in France, where the government
and the farmers together have spent,
| during the last 80 years, over $40, 000, 900
| and expect to expend three or four
times that amount to reforest LOCO 900
acres of denuded mountain sides, the
soil and debris from which has been
carried by the torrents of water into
the plain, covering over 5000, 900 acres
of fertile ground and making it useless
for agricultural purposes. Sodding for
pasture has beer found usually less
| effective and on the sleeper slopes en-
tirely ineffective. Wherever ground in
the hill country is not fit for agriculture
al use it should be set aside and kept
in forest, not only to make it produce
a timber crop, but also to prevent the
erosion which finally becomes danger
Gus to the lower valley lands. WHEREBY
err agriculture is possible and profitable
there should be such a distribution Of
forest, pasture and field as will secure
the greatest immunity from erosive and
| torrential action OF the waters. The
forest should occupy all hill tops which,
as a rule, have too thin a soil to allow
profitable agricultural use; it should
be kept growing ON the sleeper slopes
where water acquires the greatest mo-
mentum and the loosening of the soil by
the pillow furnishes a most favorable
condition for erosive action; it should
be placed on all rocky, uneven, agricul-
turally useless spots, because it will
produce useful material wen on such
~unfavorable situations, and finally, for
J est belts should be maintained on all
long slopes alternately with fields and
pastures, running along the brow of the
slope of widths and at distances pro-
p~ortionate to the character of the land
and the angle of the slope, on the
| sleeper slopes, closer together, on the
| gentler slopes farther apart. These
belts, acting ar d barrier to break the
force of the water, will prevent undue
accumulation of surface waters and
will protect to a considerable degree
the lower fields from washing. Farm
ers, therefore, living in the eroded hill
country should start upon the work of
reforestation with a well conceived
| plan. They should determine before
hand which parts ought to be the for
| est, and which they may reasonably
expect to adapt again to agricultural
uses. They should understand that
they must begin this work at the origin
of the evil, at the very tops of the hills
where the water begins to gather force,
and gradually proceed with their work
down to the lower levels"
While foreign governments and GER
tain states in this country are paying
out such immense sums of money for
the reforestation of lands our congress
should never permit the title of this re-
serve to PASS out Of the hands of the
government. 1t is absolutely immater-
10 whathnr, If tc hold fpn, Indian nm
poses as it is now, or held as a forest
reserve. But we do contend that it
should be held by the government for
the benefit of the citizens of this terri
tory, for the good to the greatest num-
Der, those engaged in the stock business
and in agriculture. Those we will have
with us always. The timber people we
will have with us till the timber is cut
off, then the country will be a desert.
These Indians will then be alone with
millions of acres of land, but not
a drop of water to drink. The govern
ment is now feeding the Pima Indians
at an expense of $50, 900 on account of
lack of water for their crops. This lack
of water was caused by extensive cut
| ting of timber and the o~verstocking of
the lands from which their springs de-
rived their flow. The records of the
weather bureau show hat they have
had their annual rainfall. This water
did not soak in, but ran off in floods.
The Mescalero Indians are bitterly
opposed to the opening of the reserva-
ton. They do not ask Of the govern
ment one cent of money for their sup
port, but do ask the government to pro-
tect their water supply and to secure
to them a permanency to their peace
able occupations. They do not want to
have the same trouble over their water
! supply that other Indians i'm New Mex