416 Forestry Quarterly 



sources. The next big step in forest fire protection throughout 

 eastern Canada will no doubt be in the direction of securing 

 better control of settlers' slash-burning operations during danger- 

 ous seasons. 



The report of the Fire Inspection Department, Board of Rail- 

 way Commissioners for Canada, shows that a total of 1346 fires 

 are reported as having started within 300 feet of the railway 

 track, throughout the Dominion, during the fire season of 1914. 

 These fires burned over a total area of 191,770 acres, of which 

 49,326 acres, or 25.72 per cent, was young forest growth and 

 107,496, or 56.05 per cent merchantable timber, the balance of the 

 area burned over being grass or cultivated land and slashing or 

 old burn not restocking. The total value of property destroyed by 

 the above fires was $433,442 of which $202,987 was for merchant- 

 able timber and $59,624 was the estimated value of young forest 

 growth destroyed. Of the above 1346 fires, 904 or 67.16 per cent 

 were reported as having been caused by railway agencies. One 

 hundred and thirty-seven fires are reported as due to tramps, 

 camp fires, etc., 62 fires as due to settlers clearing land and 16 to 

 other known causes. There were 227 fires reported as of un- 

 known origin. 



Due to the attitude of the Pennsylvania legislature and ex- 

 Governor Tener, the appropriations of the State Forestry De- 

 partment were cut down to a point where efficient fire protection 

 became impossible, and severe fire losses this spring have been the 

 consequence. An appropriation of $75,000 per annum is asked 

 for this part of the service. 



A bill introduced in the Maine legislature for the preservation, 

 perpetuation and increase of the forests in that State embodies 

 three important provisions, namely: (1) that public lands of the 

 State shall be under the superintendence of the State Land 

 Agent, and that he shall have authority to sell seedlings from 

 these lands at cost; (2) when deemed necessary for the preserva- 

 tion and conservation of the forest interests of Maine, the State 

 may take private lands in the same way that lands are taken for 

 railroad beds, making just compensation therefor; (3) owners 

 of growing timber of certain kinds may cause the timber on cer- 

 tain tracts to be exempted from taxation by filing a plan of the 

 tract, with description, in the files of the State kept for that pur- 



