662 



AMERICAN FORESTRY 



in our work and are helping us to ac- 

 complish it. Last season about eight 

 thousand blueberry pickers were out on 

 the marshes. In former years they 

 have been the cause of many fires. Our 

 rangers called on nearly all of them, 

 and as a result we could not trace a 

 single fire to that source. We have the 

 hearty support of the lumber companies, 

 railroads and settlers. We expect to 

 keep hammering away in the hope, 

 which I believe will be realized, that 

 people will learn to be careful and avoid 

 starting fires. We have done nothing 

 towards putting in phone lines and 

 watch towers, but have done consider- 

 able in the way of clearing up old log- 

 ging roads or getting the township of- 

 ficials to do it, as these roads make good 

 fire lines. 



We have hopes of being able to in- 

 crease our force considerably another 

 year. There is a good chance of our 

 acrea.ge growing to four million acres 

 soon. We spent five-eighths of a cent 

 an acre in 1911, and will spend just 



about that amount this season, and I 

 believe our work will be more effective 

 each year. 



Through our efforts, largely, an or- 

 ganization similar to ours has been 

 formed in Lower Michigan. So far 

 we have failed to sufficiently interest 

 the Wisconsin timber owners. Their 

 holdings are now badly scattered and 

 their problem is more difficult than ours. 

 Nevertheless, they should do something 

 along the lines we have been operating 

 on. We will, in the course of time, 

 carry our educational work into our 

 State legislature with the idea of bet- 

 tering our laws and eventually getting 

 some sort of State patrol. At present 

 we get no support from the State. Our 

 Association is patrolling State lands 

 now and receive nothing for it. We 

 think we have accomplished enough 

 to justify our expenditure of both time 

 and labor, and will continue to use both 

 for the preservation of our timber re- 

 sources. 



THE FIRE BUG AND THE EAST WIND 



.E. T. Allen 



"No, I'll not burn my slash this spring/' 



The moss-back logger said, 

 "I'll trust to God and luck again; 



Expense is what I dread." 



"It's time to hit the trail again," 



The careless camper said, 

 And left his little fire ablaze; 



Within its leafy bed. 



"I'll light another cigarette," 



The idle loafer said, 

 Vnd chucked his old snipe in the brush 



One end still glowing red. 



"Let's punch the screen out of the stack," 



The donkey fireman said. 

 And so he did and all the sparks 



Sailed blithely overhead. 



"Come on, we'll dump our ashes now," 



The railroad trainmen said. 

 The train soon fanned them far and wide 



As on its way it sped. 



"Good time to fire my slashing now," 



The thrifty rancher said, 

 And touched it of¥ without a thought 

 Of how far it might spread. 



"I think I'll blow an hour or two," 



The restless east wind said. 

 Then liked it so he changed his mind 



And blew a week instead. 



"Millions in lives and timber lost," 



The newspapers next said. 

 What made those fires all start at once^ 



We wondered as we read. 



"It wasn't us. it was that wind," 

 The fools in chorus said. 



So they're alive and loose this year 

 We hope the wind is dead. 



