Current Literature 223 



ber of fires originating along railroads. An admirable card 

 system for enabling engineers to notiiy section crews is reported 

 as in use by the Western Pacific Railroad Company. 



R. C. H. 



Fourth Annual Report of the State Forester to the Governor, 

 State of Oregon, 1914. Pp. 63. 111. 



The report is divided into eleven chapters, all except the first 

 tw^o dealing with various phases of the fire protection work which 

 is the all important state problem at the present time. 



An introductory chapter on Oregon forest resources empha- 

 sizes the prominent place which the lumber industry has now 

 and should always retain in the development and upbuilding of 

 the State. Attention is called to the large number of owners 

 now controlling the private timberlands. The tendency toward 

 greater consolidation of the smaller holdings is recognized and its 

 advisability admitted. Chapter II treats of forest taxation and 

 urges the adoption of more farsighted methods of taxation for 

 forest land. The remaining chapters review in a careful and 

 critical manner the year's work in fire protection, and offer 

 many suggestions for further increasing the efficiency of the 

 protective organization. 



During the season of 1914, 722 State fire wardens (virtually 

 patrolmen) were employed by the State, the Forest Service, the 

 Federal Government, associations, and individual timber owners, 

 or served voluntarily without compensation. 



The fire season of 1914 was one of the driest ever experienced 

 in Oregon, but due to the protective organization losses were com- 

 paratively insignificant. "Although the fire hazard during the 

 seasons of 1910 and 1914 was practically the same, during the 

 former season $1,640,997 worth of taxable forest property was 

 destroyed against a loss of $26,445, in 1914." 



Causes of fires (outside of the National Forests) are classified 

 as follows : 



Unknown, 22 per cent; incendiary, 18 per cent; slash burning, 

 18 per cent; lightning, 12 per cent; hunters, 7 per cent; campers. 



