Stand of American white pine in the Frankfurt town forest, Frankfurt on the Main, South Prussia, containing 35,000 board feet to the acre, 60 years old. Originally planted with oak and spruce. Only a few spruce are left and no oak. As a result the white pine has not produced very clean timber, but the stand is valuable for the seed produced from it. -Courtesy of the State Botanist

THE FOREST PRESERVE FOR WATER GATHERING GROUNDS

By A. H. Perkins, Chief of Division of Waters, Conservation
Commission of New York.

R

UNNING the rain water from the roof into a cistern, thus storing in time of plenty for use in time of scarcity, is an old and simple operation. Using the mountains and hills for roofs and the lowlands for cisterns is almost as simple in conception, but more difficult in practical operation because of the grander scale and consequent bringing into play of forces vastly more difficult of control. The difficulties were overcome, however, before the dawn of history. Works for the storage of water and its use for irrigation and municipal supply on a greater scale than any of modern times, though perhaps less effective, were executed in prehistoric times in India and Mesopotamia and formed the foundation upon which great nations arose and flourished.

In our time and place a new use has arisen for stored water. The phenomenal growth in the use of mechanical power in New York State must be realized by most people, and in meeting this demand for energy, water power is playing a part of ever increasing importance. The adaptation of the energy of falling water to meet the requirements of the modern demand for power is very recent and is still continuing as the distance to which electric power can be economically transmitted is lengthened by advances in the practical transmission of power. A point has now been reached where water power, if in sufficient quantity, can be transmitted to a market from any point in New York State.

Within the last fifteen years the art of electrical transmission has advanced to a point where the forest preserve is no longer too isolated and remote for the profitable development of its water powers, and during the same time the market for power has been growing so that the further utilization of the forest preserve for gathering and storing water has become of vital importance in the industrial development of the state.

In 1913 the people voted affirmatively upon a proposition to allow not exceeding 3% of the area of the forest preserve to be used for

reservoirs for water supply, the canals of the state, and to regulate the flow of streams. This amendment to the Constitution provides for the assessment of the costs upon the property benefited and for a reasonable return to the state upon the value of the rights and property of the state used and the services of the state rendered."

How much of a return the state will receive from reservoirs constructed in the forest preserve under this authority, will of course depend upon the interpretation of the word "value." There are those who profess to believe that this value of property and services is measured by the cost of the lands to the state and the salaries of the officials whose time may be used in connection with the carrying out of the work. To the beneficiaries the value of the permission to use the lands of the state and of the services of the state would depend upon how much they could make out of the project. Measured by this standard, the beneficiaries should pay to the state all the return yielded by the investment in storage except what would be a reasonable return to them, having in consideration that they are to pay the costs and should receive a return commensurate with the ability and energy shown and the risks run. The return to the state on this basis, from water storage in the forest preserve, would be very material.

The location, capacity and value as revenue producers of reservoirs in the forest preserve, is too large a subject for this article. In general it may be said that the quantity and distribution of the rainfall, the large basins, with good dam-sites at their outlets, make the Adirondack Park ideal gathering and storage ground.

Within the forest preserve there are also water powers of great magnitude and value, many of which belong in whole or in part to the state. Lands of the state cannot be used for power development or transmission under the present state constitution. Sooner or later such an amendment will doubtless be placed before the voters, and the readers of this magazine should give consideration to their attitude on the subject.

So far as the writer has been able to ascertain, the present preponderating idea of the forest preserve is that it is for a playground for the people of the state, but practical utilization of all things is too characteristic of the American people to permit the playground idea to exclude

the thought of eventual productive use of the lands in such ways as will not seriously interfere with their uses for recreation. The aggregate of the areas required for power houses and appurtenances and transmission lines would be far less than that required for reservoirs, and the scenic effects much less deleterious. If the people are made to believe that the forest preserve will not be seriously impaired as a playground, and that the state will receive full value (all the return except a fair return to the concessioners) for the privileges granted, they will be in favor of such changes in the Constitution as will permit the development of power on state lands in the forest preserve.

We are having at the present time in Congress and Legislature a recrudescence of the idea that the state has no business to have and hold anything from which it can secure a revenue. The pendulum will again swing the other way, however, and we shall return to the idea that whoever gets a benefit from the state must pay for it so much that it ceases to be a favor and the recipient is placed upon a footing of equality before the government with other citizens. In the meantime, all should be viligant to prevent favoritism as far as possible.

Pine Blister Rust Bill.

Urge your representatives in the State Legislature to stand by a bill which will come before them for consideration, for the suppression of the Pine Blister Rust in New York State. Briefly the provisions of the bill are as follows:

Provision is made for "fruiting currant districts," where currant growing is carried on commercially and within which any diseased currants or gooseberries may be destroyed. Outside these districts the Conservation Commission is authorized to destroy any pine trees, or currant, or gooseberry bushes whether diseased or not, except within duly certified nurseries, whenever such destruction seems desirable for controlling the disease. It also provides that the Conservation Commission be given authority to establish quarantine districts. This quarantine may prohibit the possession of any white pines, or currants or gooseberries; the transportation of any white pines, currants, or gooseberries to or from any quarantine district, or from any diseased locality outside the State to any point within the State. The bill provides that compensation be allowed for trees or plants destroyed which are free from disease.

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