The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-01-21
FLOODS OF WATER IN CLEARED GROUND Deforestation Accounts for In
 crease of Great Floods MANY DISTRICTS TABLED Examination of Watersheds In Differ ent Parts of the Country Show
 the Growth of Floods in
 TreeIess Land.

That part of the Appalachians where the rivers of the Ohio valley states arise is declared to be fuller of f1ooii- stage each year by William l.. Hall. assistant forester in the department of agriculture, and Hu Maxwell, ex- pert in the department. This opinion backed by statistics is stated in a cur rent bulletin of the department The Tennessee river at Chattanooga is es- pecially considered.
 Much attention is devoted to the condition of the Cumberland river at Burnside, Ky, where the watersh ed conditions have grown so steaNily worse as to be alarming. table the following:
 Eight of the 10 rivers compared show greater floods since 1900 than from 1890 to 1900 These eight years were taken as the period for compari- son. The eight rivers which show in creased flow are the Cumberland, at Burnside; the Tennessee, at Chatta- nooga; the Potomac, at Harpers Ferry; the Monongahela, at Lock 1, Pennsyl- vania; the Ohio, at Wheeling, W. Va; the Wateree, at Camden. $. C.; the Savannah, at Augusta, Ga; the Ale gheny, at Freeport, Pa.
 On Cumberland River. On the Cumberland river measure ments were given for IS years t1Ss0- 1sos). During the first half of thls period there were S2 floods, during the second half 33. The number of days of flood during the first half was Ss. during the second half 102.
 On the Tennessee river measure ments have been taken for S4 years ds74-1soD. During the first half of the period there were 32 floods, during the second half, S3. The number of days of flood during the first half was 173, during the second half 1S7.
 On the Ohio river measurements are given for 2e years (1Ss2-1sos) During the first half of the period there were 46 floods. during the second half 59. The number of days of hood during the first half were 143, during the second half 1Ss
 On tine Savannah river mes surements were given for IS years Q890-1so7). During the first half of the period the number of floods was AZ, during the second half 5S. The number of days of flood during the first half was He. during the second half 17o
 A close study by government hydrogra pher of the diminution of flood days for the Tennessee river dur ing the latter half of the period studied reveals the fact that the diminution in precipitation during that period was lessened m ore than the percentage of flood was lessened. This is considered therefore a flood increase. The hydro grapher puts the flood increase over the first half 1875, which is remark able.
 Onrush of Waters.
 Another feature of the report is that in the eight rivers whose flood condi- tions have increased, surrounding pre- cipitation has decreased more than the increase of flood. This leaves the in- ference of dreadful onrush of water from the Appalachians becoming more violent each year.
 
 foods the government experts pass pre- cipitation and evaporation, usually count ed in determining the cause of floods. Temperature, topography, geology nat ural and artificial reservoirs, soil and ground cover are also dismissed from the part of defendants in this case of the scientists against the floods. Then comes this statement significant because it comes from Clifford Pinchot's former de- partment and for scientific reasons as well.
 Undoubtedly it is the clearing away of the forest on the mountainous water sheds of the streams which have been described that has caused a great in crease in frequency and duration of the floods. It is a known fact that the for ests on these several watersheds have been cut away with great raptdity during the last 30 years. The Cumberland river , is a good example of how conditions have changed for the worse on some of these watersheds. The drainage area of the Cumberland river above Burn side, Ky, comprises S73s square miles and I lies in the heart of the Cumberland noun l tains The increase in flood figures has | been previously given at Burnside and l low waters there have increased in times from q in the first half to 65 in the second half, and in days from 1261 in the i first half to l576 in the Secono nal1. l The removal of the forest on this water shed is progressinug from three causes l Clearing for agriculture, lumber opera ! tions and fires.
 l Cleared Area Growing. ! "In 1890 when these measurements were begun, 21 per cent of the watershed above ] Burnside was cleared; in 1908 the cleared | area had grown to 3z per cent. During the eight years from 1900 to 1908 clearing of forests for agricultural purposes went | on on this watershed at the average rate l of fve-eighths of one per cent per year
 'The total stand of timber on this part l of the Cumberland watershed Is S,2l2oSi. ! GOO board feet. It Is being cut away by l numbering alone at the rate of per cenl year. The forest is not being cut clear l, Instead the lumberman Is going over Il time after time. picking out the particular kinds or classes of timber that he wants First. he took the walnut and cherry next, the white oak and poplar; now hs is taking the chestnut and other kino' | of oak"
 The report states that only on the Rec