Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1904-07-30
OF
KANSAS FLOODS
Planting Advised By Blu
reau Of Forestry. Last
Year'sLoss Over TWEEN
ty Millions

SS01 o4-o0p VA
ty Millions
WASHINGTON, D, G., July 30.-The
Kansas river floods have called new
attention to the methods recently ad.
yocated by the bureau OF forestry for
controlling the course Of the stream
and for repairing the damages to in,
undated farm lands. The high-Water
mark this summer was 10 feet lower
than that of last season, nor is the
property loss comparable to that OF
a year ago, when the damage wrought
exceeded s2O.oo0,0O0 and when over
100 lives We're sacrificed. But in
permanent injury to the productive
capacity of the region it may well be
that the river has delivered a second
blow as serious rs was the first. The
flood Of 1903 was the greatest since
1914. Until a year ago the valley of
the Kaw was as fertile as any on this
continent. For centuries the strips
tof woodland along the banks of the
river bed impeded the rush OF over
flows, and the silt that built up the
rich land had been p~recipitated. But
under agriculture the trees were
gradually cut down, in many cases
right to the waters edge. The result
was Inevitable. In its natural course
the river runs rather slowly and with
many windings through its flat mead
lows. But when it pyerfiowed. the
water swept straight down the valley.
~Unimpeded by trees. ii increased its
velocity, in solle places cutting for
itself new channels. and for almost
the whole 100 miles of the valley not
only deeply eroded the river banks
but played havoc with the valuable
farm lands, In some places the rich
soil was cut away to the barren sands
OF, arayels; in Others coarse sand was
laid 6 and s feet deep over the fields;
in still other places great holes were
gouged out and lakes formed acres in
extent. OF the 100000 acres Of re-
markably fertile lands, worth from
500 to $3.50 an acre, which the valley
contained, 10000 acres were complete
ly destroyed for agricultural purposes.
10000 acres more were damaged SO per
cent of their value. and the whole area
was greatly deprecated in value owing
to the general sense of uncertainty
as to the future. That these fears
for the future were well founded the
repetition of the disaster makes suf-
ficiently plain.
But the condition of the citizens
Of the valley is far from hopeless IL
they will put into active and general
operation plans for the protection and
reclamation Of their lands. The bur-
eau of forestry has devised systems Of
tree planting for the river banks, the
san covered lands and the
deeply eroded lands. The object of
the first is to prevent washing OF the
banks, to protect the whole area from
the full force Of floods, and in time Of
overflow to check the tendency to
gully and cut new channels. The last
two systems of planting are for ulti.
mately retaining the now destroyed
lands, and making them produce, in
the meantime. a valuable wood pro-
duct while the work OF reclamation
Is going on.
The sanded lands are now useless
for crops, but will grow cottonwood,
which twenty years hence Will make
valuable sawlogs. In the meantime
the trees will be recIaiming the land
for field crops. This they will do
partly by the fertilizing effect Of the
~decaying forest litter. But should the
flood waters return again the timber
would very likely be in a position to
render MUCH greater service. Exam.
nation ~ the area affected a year
ago hovkstffdngly that where pro-
tective growth Of cotton wood checked
be rush Of the current the land be,
yond was generally covered not with
sand but with silt, and is often ifany.