REVIEWS 581 



ing fire rangers, inspectors, and head-office supervision. The organiza- 

 tion is to be further extended during the coming season and the super- 

 vision will be tightened up to a material extent. As with any new 

 organization, increasingly efficient results may be expected from year 

 to year, as the men become better trained and as those less competent 

 are weeded out. 



A total of 1,1 lo fires were reported, of which 68 per cent occurred 

 before July i. Of the fires attributable to railways, 6o per cent oc- 

 curred along the National Transcontinental. Settlers clearing land 

 were charged with 91 fires and neglected camp fires with 154. 



The total area burned over was 384,164 acres, of which 19 per cent 

 was timber land. 39 per cent cut-over land. 20 per cent young forest 

 growth, and 21 per cent barren. The total amount of timber damaged 

 was estimated at about 15 million feet, in addition to 91,246 cords, 

 mostly pulp wood, and 781.685 ties. 



Material progress has been made in the construction of permanent 

 improvements, such as lookout towers, trails, telephones, portages, etc. 



A beginning has also been made in securing the disposal of logging 

 slash where this constitutes a danger to life and personal property, as 

 is frequently the case in the clay belt. 



Some 3.500 permits were issued for the burning of settlers' clearing 

 slashes. This means a very great reduction in the danger of fire escap- 

 ing and causing damage, to say nothing of loss of life. 



All the statistical information is classified and tabulated. 



Two other activities of the Branch are reported, namely, the pro- 

 vincial nursery, which is distributing plants free of charge, in addition 

 to planting sandy areas in its neighborhood, both on a small scale, and 

 the scouting for the white-pine blister rust, for the continuance of 

 which, in Canada. $100,000 are asked, to be spent by a commission to 

 be organizt'd. 



B. E. F. 



Important Ra)i(/c Plants: Their Life History and Forage Value. By 

 A. W. Sampson. U. S. Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Plant 

 Industry, Co-operating with the Forest Service, Bulletin 545. Wash- 

 ington, D. C. 1917. 



The ini])rovcmenl of the publicly owned range in the western half 

 of the country is a great economic problem. In the study of this 

 problem during the past decade the Forest Service has been co-operat- 

 ing with the Bureau of Plant Industry, and already several important 



