REVIEWS 773 



only 20 per cent of the number, such as admitting mulberry, osage 

 orange (in Michigan!), sassafras, and catalpa as satisfying the law. 

 The benefit consists in valuing such reserves at not more than $i per 

 acre for tax purposes. 



A nursery of 12 acres furnishes plant material for State work and 

 for sale to private planters. 



The report of the State Forester, Mr. Marcus Schaaf, rehearses 

 briefly what had been accomplished by the old Forestry Commission 

 and the slow beginnings of the new commission, and gives brief de- 

 scriptions of a number of State forests. Considerable space is given 

 to forest protection. We note as a special feature that there seems 

 much reliance placed on the efficiency of fire lines, of which the old 

 commission had constructed 64 miles and the commission had brought 

 up the mileage to 338; this for an acreage of about 110,000 acres ; the 

 cost in later years having varied from $52 to $90 per mile. There is 

 no statement of the cost of maintaining these fire lines, but we are 

 inclined to think that in proportion to their effectiveness the expense 

 may prove excessive, since they are twice or three times during the 

 season cultivated by disc-harrow or other cultivator, with a view of 

 exposing mineral soil and of preventing the growth of grasses and 

 weeds. While in the pineries such lines may be made effective at rela- 

 tively low cost. The fire lines form, to be sure, convenient lines of 

 subdivision, being located on section and subdivisional lines, and form 

 convenient lines of defense in fighting fires as well as in utilization. 

 Privately we are informed that with modern tractors now used the cost 

 of maintenance and even of construction is not great. Once going over 

 with machine and two men will suffice each year and costs less than $5 

 per mile. On sand plowing and disking effectively keeps growth down. 

 In hardwoods it is advocated to leave the grass to grow and mow or 

 graze it. Eight steel towers for lookouts and 33 miles of telephone 

 lines make patrols in those parts where they are installed unnecessary, 

 nevertheless the value of patrol work to prevent the starting of fires 

 by campers, berry pickers, fishermen, hunters, and other careless people 

 is recognized. 



In the report of the Game, Fish, and Forest Fire Commissioner the 

 interesting point is made that by the sale of licenses all expenses, in- 

 cluding salary of commissioner, are covered, apparently including the 

 fire protection. It is notable that "there is no other State which shows 

 so small a rate of forest fire loss for the comparatively large slash area 

 as that reported for Michigan during the years 1912-1915." A complete 

 record of fires for 1916 is appended. 



