584 



AMERICAN FORESTRY 



Swanson, but 16 years of age, already 

 knows the woods and knows the terrors 

 of forest fire-fighting. He is a self- 

 rehant lad and his company, the first 

 of the Michigan Forest Scouts, is care- 

 fully drilled by him every way he can 

 think of to make it an efficient fire- 

 fighting force. 



He gave his company a little test 

 recently. A great pile of dead brush 

 was situated in a clump of pines. He 

 set it on fire in several places. Then 

 he gave the alarm. 



"Secure shovels," came his com- 

 mand. 



The company promptly appeared in 

 good order and armed with their 

 shovels. 



"Forward, at will !" he commanded. 

 The boys came down upon the blaze 

 like a Marathon. 



"Shovels at will," was the next com- 

 mand. In an instant every shovel was 

 dug deep into the snow and the snow 

 was sent hurling upon the blazing brush 

 pile. Like nailers the lads worked. 

 They know their business. They stood 

 on the windward side of the brush 

 heap, away from the smoke and flame, 

 yet where they could keep up that 

 shower of snow dealing death to the 

 flames. Two minutes and only steam 

 rises from the brush pile. The captain 

 stood back and proudly surveyed the 

 work of his company over which he 

 had command and which he had kept 

 well in hand. 



"That's the way we do it now," he 

 said. "If it were summer time, sand 

 would do the work quicker than snow." 

 Then he told of his plans for the sea- 

 son which all northern Michigan looks 

 to with dread. 



"A grass fire? Yes, that's the way 

 most of 'em start. But, pshaw! That's 

 nothing, when you know how — provid- 

 ing it's a small one of course. And 

 we figure on getting most of 'em be- 

 fore they get any size. 



"We just cut or tear off a big pine 

 or cedar branch and whip 'em to a 

 frazzle. We get behind to the win'ard 

 where it's safe. Then we whip along 

 the sides and it keeps a dying down as 

 we gain on it, till we meet in front. 

 Then it's out. 



"What'U we do with a great big fire? 

 Why, there won't be any. That's what 

 the scouts are for — to put 'em out when 

 they are small. But if there should 

 happen to be a big one, we would re- 

 port it to the township fire warden and 

 he would organize to fight the blaze. 

 Most of the fires start when it's vaca- 

 tion in school and that's when we can 

 watch for 'em. 



"When there are no fires ? Why then 

 we'll put in the time cutting fire lanes 

 to protect the towns and farm houses, 

 and trimming the useless branches off'n 

 the trees so the sap will go into the 

 trunk and make 'em grow faster. 

 Pretty soon we'll have our forests back 

 again." 



COST OF FOREST FIRES. 



Young Swanson is an enthusiast and 

 it is apparent he has had the neces- 

 sary experience to make him an effi- 

 cient officer. Forest fires in Michigan 

 during the year 1911 did damage to the 

 extent of $3,567,438. They broke out 

 in thirty-six counties of the eighty-three 

 in the State. They left villages desolate 

 and resulted in tremendous loss of life 

 as well as property. They ruined thou- 

 sands of acres of hardwood, meadows, 

 slashings and swamp lands and made 

 it necessary to call out the National 

 Guard to care for the persons afflicted. 



It is believed the organization of the 

 Michigan Forest Scouts will be a po- 

 tential force in preventing repetitions 

 of such devastations. All the benefits 

 will not be reaped in this generation 

 for one of the important features of 

 the work is to teach young men hovf 

 to build camp fires without endanger- 

 ing the surrounding growth. When 

 these boys grow up and become camp- 

 ers their lessons in woodcraft will have 

 been learned. They are taught to see 

 and extinguish the blaze in its in- 

 cipiency. This lesson will never be for- 

 gotten and in future generations the 

 people of Michigan will reap the re- 

 ward. 



William R. Oates, State Game and 

 Fish and Forestry Warden, is most en- 

 thusiastic over the movement. So is 

 Governor Osborn, who devotes not a 



