Spruce Roots Liid Bare by a Ground Fire Which Destroyed ihe Duff 



paid by the state to any one town was 

 $1,459, against a total cost for fighting 

 fire in the town of $i,6o8. While the 

 state paid about ninety per cent of the 

 cost to this mountain town, the total 

 paid to these twenty towns was sixty-six 

 per cent of the whole cost ; while, of 

 course, other towns which had but 

 slight expense received no aid. 



The main thing necessary in regard 

 to the fire problem is, therefore, to en- 

 force the law which we already have. 

 On entering ofifice I wrote to all of the 

 state attorneys (there is one for each 

 county), calling their attention to the 

 necessity of prosecuting ofifenders un- 

 der the fire laws. Only one serious fire 

 has been called to my attention this 

 year. Evidence was at once secured by 

 this ofifice and within three weeks the 

 state's attorney for the county had se- 

 cured a conviction, which resulted in 

 the guilty party paying a fine of $io 

 and cc-ts, amounting to $25 in all. 

 84 



That state forestry work must for 

 some time be largely educational is un- 

 doubtedly the reason that it appeals to 

 such a limited group of foresters. In- 

 terest in the subject in Vermont had 

 been so thoroughly aroused under the 

 leadership of Professor Jones and the 

 State Forestry Association that the field 

 is much more encouraging than in a 

 state like Connecticut, where interest is 

 primarily in city affairs. As evidence 

 of this greater interest, which is un- 

 doubtedly, due partially to the general 

 progress which forestry has made dur- 

 ing five years, may be mentioned the 

 fact that during my first six months in 

 Connecticut not a single invitation for 

 an address on forestry was received ; 

 while during a similar period in Ver- 

 luont I have given eighteen addresses 

 before farmers' granges, women's clubs, 

 teachers' associations, librarians" con- 

 ventions, church societies, etc. 



