The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1910-05-26

of these States and that the necessity
flow of their streams might be main
tanned.
| In the meanwhile, the crowding o
civilization, the insistent demands o
the market, the wasreful manner o
handling and the rsvages of fire, hat
been devastating the Southern ant
Eastern mountains, which had passed
into private ownership long before
was realized that there could eve,
come time when the necessity o
conserving the natural resources o
this rich country would become al
issue of supreme Importance alike t.
the present and the future. Not only
was the timber supply threatened
with exhaustion but the flow of mum
erous rivers, whose water powers
furnish so much of wealth and EN-.
ployment, was in jeopardy, and
through erosion, sitting, and irregu-
lar flow the navigability of many OF
them was endangered The plea OF
the people of the Northeast and
Southeast for relief was brought to
Congress more than decade ago and
is now before Congress in this bill.
Continuing the report says: The
experience of the countries of Europe,
reaching back for over a hundred
years, without exception points a
course which our Government, look
ing beyond the immediate present can
not afford to ignore. 1t is fortunate
for us that by immediate action we
can avoid the enormous expense of
reforestation necessary in the forest
policies of European countries, where
a large part of the expense is due to
planting on land where the natural
forest has been exterminated. In the
United States at this time the prob
lem is one not of reforestation, but
of protecting and using wisely the
forests which nature has provided {;
it is not a question of the creation
of forests, but of the conservation of
those we have already. The enact
ment of this bill into law, we conf
IDENTIFY believe, will save us from the
fatal errors and heavy burdens of
European countries in dealing with
this problem.
In considering the matter of forest
influences on stream flow, the report
quotes opinions expressed on
the subject by eminent foresters
on the subject by eminent foresters
and engineers at the International
Congress of Navigation held at Milan
in 1905.
THE conclusions advanced by these
authorities" says the report, have
been summarized carefully by Mr.. c.
Cipolletti, a prominent Italian engi-
neer, in his official summary of the
inland navigation section o fthe con.
gress, in these words:
First. Opinions being unanimous
upon the point that forests exert g
beneficial influence
(a) Upon the consolidation of slop
ing grounds by preventing the disas
trous washing off of materials to the
bottom of the valley.
CD Upon the formation and perma
nency of springs, at least in imper
meable ground and on slopes.
| (c) On the better regime of rivers
| at least at the periods of their low
water and ordinary flows.
These conclusions are in harmon,
with the opinions of majority of thu
engineers and expert foresters wht
have appeared personally before you
committee and are IN exact accort
with the views of the American Insti
tute of Electrical Engineers, compos
ed of over $500 members, and tn
American Society of Civil Engineers
with a membership of owe
$500, both recognized as tn
/ leading organizations of thei
kind in the world. In resolu
lions presented by them to the Agri
cultural Committee in January, 1905
their views upon the effect of forests
on the regularity of stream flow ar
lunequivocally set forth"
Especial attention is directed to tn
important fact that both of the scien
tific organizations mentioned recogniz
the intimate relationship of forests t.
the regularity of stream flow.
I'm view, therefore, of the almos
unanimous consensus of scientifi
thought, coupled with the common
sense judgment of practical men, you
committee feels warranted in accept
ing as fundamentally correct:
That forest cover is of grea
value in retarding run-off and il
mountain regions contributes NOR
directly and in a more beneficial man
npr IN the underPrOund waters thai
any other single agency.
THAT a forested watershed exert
an appreciate and beneficial influ
ence upon the ruh-off by maintain
ing longer periods of average flow
thereby lessening tendencies both t
low and high water
That on sloping ground, and es
lpecially on the sleeper and longe
slopes prevailing in mountain re
gions, the forest is of first importanc
in preventing soil erosion and con
sequent sitting of streams by the de
tritus when formed finally reaching
as is well established and undisput
ed, the lower reaches of streams, caus
ing changes in river beds, building II
sand bars and other distractions t
navigation"
II was IN connection with the cross
examination of Prof. Willis l.. Moor,
Chief of the Weather Bureau and eel
tain of the army engineers that Nj
Plumley came into prominence. Tn
committee had devoted week
10 the consideration of the apricultul