118 THE PIvANT WORLD 



Editorial. 



Fe;w people perhaps realize the enormous annual loss from forest fires 

 in this country, but when confronted with the figures it is seen to be a 

 serious matter. Thus, within two weeks last year over $12,000,000 

 worth of timber and other property was destroyed by forest fires in 

 Oregon and Washington alone, and the estimated yearly loss throughout 

 the country is from $25,000,000 to $50,000,000. So prevalent are fires 

 that they have come to be regarded as almost inevitable and few sys- 

 tematic attempts have been made to prevent or control them. With the 

 view to securing valuable data on the subject the U. S. Department of 

 Agriculture, through the Bureau of Forestry, has a number of agents in 

 the field charged with the duty of visiting the various areas while the 

 fires are burning and ascertaining, when possible, the manner in which 

 fires ordinarily originate, the rapidity with which they burn, and the 

 extent of the damage to soil and tree-growth. Ultimately it is hoped that 

 means may be devised for an effective system of protection. 



It seems hardly necessary at this stage to call attention to the plant- 

 ing of shrubbery as a means of beautifying the home grounds, but it is so 

 often neglected it appears that it must be reiterated. And it is not 

 enough to plant shrubs and trees at random without considering the size 

 that each will attain at maturity, for the chances are that the disfigure- 

 ment will be nearly or quite as great as when the lawn was simply a 

 piece of ground in front of the house. ' ' In a recent number of Country 

 Life is given the experience of a suburban resident in beautifying ( ! ) his 

 grounds, the various stages in the evolution being shown in well executed 

 views. The first and last seem hardly the same place, so great has been 

 the transformation. At one time the owner was possessed with the de- 

 sire to have a gigantic rockery in the middle of the lawn, and, as he ex- 

 presses it, the thing was so hideous that the birds avoided it in flying 

 over. Unless one is familiar with the possibilities of the various plants it 

 is wise to make haste slowly, lest the result be unsatisfactory. First of 

 all there should be a clean sweep of open lawn in front. About the 

 foundation of the house, especially if it be low, there should be planted 

 some large-growing shrubs, as wygelia, spiraea, or the like. The re- 

 mainder of the planting should be carefully thought out and each indi- 

 vidual or cluster of individuals should be placed for the final, not the 

 immediate, effect. 



