180 



ANNUAL EEPOETS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGEICULTTJRE. 



To facilitate the protective organization in the States during the 

 summer fire season, Federal allotments are made by calendar years. 

 The allotments for the calendar year 1915 and expenditures for the 

 fiscal year ended June 30, 1915, in each of the cooperating States, 

 are shown in the following table : 



Allotments and expenditures for fire protection in cooperation with States. 



State. 



Maine 



New Hampshire 



Vermont , 



Massacliusetts.., 



Connecticut 



New York 



New Jersey , 



Maryland , 



West Virginia.. 



Virginia , 



Kentucky 



North Carolina., 

 Michigan 



Allot- 

 ments, 

 calendar 

 year 1915. 



S8,000.00 

 6,500.00 

 2,500.00 

 2,500.00 

 2,000.00 

 8,000.00 

 2,000.00 

 2,000.00 

 4,500.00 

 2,000.00 

 4,000.00 

 2,000.00 

 4,500.00 



Expendi- 

 tures, 

 fiscal 



year 1915. 



$6,444.00 



6,680.00 



2,448.59 



1,708.00 



822. 50 



5,712.12 



2,123.00 



1,854.90 



4,328.25 



1.00 



3, 156. 00 



.50 



1,570.14 



State. 



Wisconsin 



Minnesota 



South Dakota 



Montana 



Idaho 



Washington 



Oregon 



Administration 



Inspection 



Unallotted balance 



Total 



Allot- 

 ments, 

 calendar 

 year 1915. 



S4,.500.00 

 8,000.00 

 450. 00 

 3, 500. 00 

 5,500.00 

 8,000.00 

 8,000.00 

 3,200.00 

 2, 350. 00 

 6,000.00 



100,000.00 



Expendi- 

 tures, 

 fiscal 



year 1915. 



$1,779.00 

 4,968.00 

 296.00 

 2,172.91 

 5,171.53 

 7,145.75 

 9,940.75 



1,200.51 



69,523.45 



The cost of efficient protection is necessarily large. "While the 

 funds appropriated under the Weeks law actually furnish but a 

 small part of the protection afforded forest lands on the watersheds 

 of navigable streams, they have given a great stimulus to the pro- 

 tective movement throughout the entire country. They have brought 

 the various agencies, Federal, State, and private, into close rela- 

 tionship and thus welded the more or less scattered and unrelated 

 protective efforts into an organized, efficient system. In this lies the 

 most important result of the cooperative work. Nevertheless, the 

 solution of the national problem of protection from forest fires re- 

 quires the continued participation of the Federal Government. The 

 enormous public interests involved in the protection of forest and 

 water resources will not justify withdrawal. Preserving the navi- 

 gability of important streams through the protection of their water- 

 sheds is now recognized as a duty of the Federal Government and 

 justifies the assumption of a definite part of the cost. Greatly en- 

 larged appropriations are unnecessary ; but it should be the policy of 

 the Government to continue this work permanently as an active asso- 

 ciate of the State and private owners. 



A brief survey was made of the forest conditions in Texas at the 

 request of State authorities. The report to the State recommended 

 a forestry law providing for a nonpartisan department of forestry, 

 a State Forester of technical training, a forest fire protective sys- 

 tem, cooperation with towns and citizens in preparing plans for the 

 management of woodlands, and the development of State forests by 

 gift or purchase, including nurseries for the production and dis- 

 tribution of young trees at cost. These recommendations were subse- 

 quently enacted by the State legislature. Assistance in drafting bills 

 and formulating forest policies was also extended, upon request of 

 the State, to Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Michigan, Mon- 

 tana, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, West Virginia, and Wis- 

 consin. 



