The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1906-04-30
0F
SOUTH 1T STAKE TIA (. {.
Forest Preservation iii the Appa-
lacllians Essential to Future
industrial Progress.
REPORT REVIEWS SITUATION /. ] ll[)|I
Believed Bill Will Have Chance
Of Passage att l,ort8Scssion
iii December.
III December
/ llrron1 ON. Reglllnr CORRESPONDENCE

M (Fron Our Regular consequently is
WASHINGTON, April u 2o Arguments
presented { to the House Committee OIL
Agriculture and Forestry by the COM
mttee from tho States Of the Appanch-
Ian region last week went far toward
convincing members Of Congress OF the
absolute necessity for taking measures to
prevent the dcnula,yon Of tho great
watershed which divides the Mississippi
Valley from the Atlantic seaboard.
The speeches made to the committee
had to do more particularly with the
proposed reserve In the White Mountains
Of New England, but as the White
Mountain Forest Reserve bill and the
National Appalachian Forest Reserve bill
have been associated In the Senate, 1t is
probable that the two projects will be
consolidated, ana that when Congress
acts, II 1t does d all, the law will pro-
vide for the protection Of the forests Of
the entire MOUNTAIN system from YER
mont and New Hampshire AT the North
TO Georgia, on the South.
Report of Brandegee.
Senator Brandegee, OF Connecticut,
chairman OF the Senate Committee on
Forest Reservations and Protection Of
Game, recently submitted report to-
the Senate, which deals with the entire
subject in a very interesting and instruc-5
tive manner kd,
Accompanying the report Is a map Of
the established national forest reserves
III the United States. which also shows
the proposed location and area Of the
White Mountain and Appalachian re-
serves. The former Is situated almost
wholly within the borders Of the state
of New Hampshire, with a small section
In Vermont and goes to the Canadian
border. Then there Is a hiatus as far
south 5s;;asssst sout erl1 ton Of
PennsSlTIilias whsf aS the; proposed Appa-
lachinnE5reserve begins. It crosses the
Maryland Panhandle, extends to the
through West Virginia and
Virginia, following with some degree Of
the border between those
States, then crosses Vrgiria to the line
Tennessee and North Carolina,
the }1Tnnkn range IN both States,
con tinues to the south and spreads fa&
to the west, Including the mountains Of !
stSouth lGnro;nn. ~ North |
Georgia. and North Alabama II 3 This re-
serve, ocoTering, the lleAdwaters of all the
streams flowing Into the Atlantic from
south Of Delaware Bay to ST. Johns
River, Of all those flowing to the Gulf
If Mexico through Georgia and Alabama
and Of the great Ohio Tennessee Cum
oerland system. which feeds the Mfssis-
sippi at Cairo.
Senator Bandegee's report declares the
necessity for Incorporating the two prop
psitions In one measure and says the
bill contains suitable ], pryo,vsons for the
purchase Of lands, exclusive Of the tim
Der or mnergl rights for the accept
nnce OF gifts and for the reforesting Of |
rlearngs wherever necessary for the pro-
lection Of the soil or the water supply.
To carry into effect these provisions
IN appropriation of .S3,oo0W0 Is made to
,e available Immediately and until ex-
'ended.
Reserves Necessary.
After showing the proposed reserves
re sure to bea profitable bualn;ass in
The creation ot$these RESERVES 'f;s nov
or later. IS a necessary lpdllAiy suon.
or or later the Certain consequences
IA taking piaee, Viii force lho national
government to step IN. The question
Is not merely, hat Of preventing tho
impoverishment Of the immediate To-
calites and the conversion, OF pro s1laS,
The loss of the forest is followed by
that of the soil and by. recurring
floods. The hendwaters OF every I'm,
portnnt river south of the Ohio and
the Potomac and east of the ,Miss's..
sippi Including the tributaries Of
these, streams TIC N me ,soHtnerh
Appalachians. while the White. Nl'un-
tnins feed important rivers Of every
New England state EXCEPT Rhode Is J.
and The rainfall of both regions Is
heavy and distributed thro'lTh,o''t Inc
year IN the Southern Apnaln e., rs
continent except on tho Northern IA
cIEc coast. and falls often In heavy
downpours.
the shrunkcn streams into mountain
torrents which devasta,e properly and
bear down vast quantities II silt to
ohstruct nRvlgable rivers. rha sand
feet of alternating STAGES Of high and
low water periods, and large goYcrn-
mont expenditures for drcdsng 3na
hnrhor improvements are e o ,t,
North Carolina, South Car ,iin, (;ror-
sia, Alabama and Tennessee = row
being urged, yet deforestat'nn Is cnly
in IT. rst Is s9 nSs Eynnn e, i ms
France, he strirped noun aims Will
become so nimcal TO tho nnbl1 Tcnd
that tho government Will ha"e ~ take
charge of them and reforest them,
the forest are gone. will 0t ONLY loss
ruinous than tho damacc which It "',l
check, and the remedy will require
MANY years to become one,a're
France began the work of refor-
netir" don"od n1ourta'ns IN 1sfo 10
repair SO far as possible. the dam
age Wnlch nau followed the clearing
of forests under private ownership,
By 1901 she had spent over sl6.NS.oO coo
and had acquired over 10000 acres of
land in this work while annual ex-
pendtures were stlll going on at tho
rate of over $4,000 n year, and II
WAS estimated that In completing the
work the further purchase Of nvnr
4%,0M ncres Of land and thr addition
al expenditure OF over se00On,0ho would
be required"
The. report dwells on the great advant
age the forest protection would be to
agriculture by conserving the soil, pre-
venting freshcts and the spreading of
barren sands over fertile fields.
1t then taxes up the manufacturing in
tercs,s Involved, citing the great number
OF factories In the southern Appalachian
region which depend on water power
showing that gain OF from $l5 to $50
per year for each horse power developed
Is the advantage of water over coal
power
The repor, says: ITO the future IN
dns,rial progress of the South forest
preservation In the Appalaehlans is
essential"