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at the time by whom the fire was started and a prosecution could have been 
made under the existing fire law but altho the authorities were notified they 
did not indicate any disposition even to investigate the matter. 
In our neighboring state of Michigan a similar condition prevails as it 
does in most of the states in the Union. Our public indifference to forest 
fires is preventing the growth of timber to supply our future wants and a 
stringent fire law would do more to perpetuate our forests than would any 
amount of forest planting on low grade state owned land. In Wisconsin I 
have seen large areas of white pine land that had been burned over year 
after year until even the humus had been burned out of the soil and only 
the pure sand sub-soil was left. In the same district I haye seen small 
patches of land which have been protected from fire for thirty years or more 
and now have a perfect stand of pines nearly a foot in diameter. In Mich- 
igan I know of one tract of cut over land that has not had a fire in it for 
sixty years. To one who does not know the history of the place it is 
thought to be virgin forest and to all intents and purposes it is, for it bears 
a crop of trees that are ready for market. 
A typical Catalpa planting. Plantings of this worthless tree have at various 
times been urged by the state. 
In my own neighborhood in Indiana I know of one little tract of white 
oak land that has been protected from fire for over thirty years and sup- 
ports a growth of very perfect trees nearly all of which are large enough to 
cut cross ties and many of them will make saw logs. On the same farm is 
another tract that has been burned over at intervals of a few years and 
the growth on it consists of sassafras, sumach, blackberry and tangled vines. 
If this tract should be protected for a few years the sassafras even would 
quickly reach a size that it would be valuable. Repeated burnings have 
