The Biology of Polyporus Pargamenus Fries 185 
found to have butt rot has been burned over regularly for 
years. Over areas where fires had not been so frequent the 
injury from butt rot was correspondingly less. 
We find, then, that forest fires are a serious menace to hard- 
wood timber since they open the way not only to wood- 
destroying fungi but also to wood- boring insects. Every fire, 
therefore, only increases the damage by providing conditions 
for a new crop of insects in the trees and giving another 
chance for fungi to enter through the new fire scars, thus 
increasing the quantity of unmerchantable timber and de- 
creasing the amount of money received for the timber. This 
deterioration in the standing timber of any region, is the 
direct source of a tremendous loss to the entire community of 
that region, for, as Long (/. c.) states, the timber itself is 
not only a total loss to the settlers and other owners, but by 
its presence it also increases the cost of lumbering and de- 
creases the stumpage value of that timber which is merchant- 
able; furthermore, it means a loss in wages to the laborer 
and a loss to the State in revenues from the sale of govern- 
ment timber. 
The fact follows, then, that the continued burning of 
timbered lands in any region of the country is causing an 
annual loss of thousands of dollars — an absolute detriment 
to the welfare of the states involved. It is obvious that this 
loss can be almost entirely eliminated by the prevention of 
all forest fires, whether large or small — a matter which ean 
be accomplished only by the hearty co-operation of all the 
residents with the fire protection work of the individual 
states or the government. 
The practice of leaving standing all the badly diseased 
trees in our woodlots and of leaving them remain uneut in 
a lumbered area is radically wrong from the standpoint of 
proper forest sanitation, for this practice enables sap-rotting 
fungi to maintain themselves in the forest while the new 
generation of trees slowly develops and as soon as any become 
injured they thus become susceptible to the attacks of sap- 
rotting fungi. Trees effected with sap-rot should not be left 
for seed trees wherever it is possible to leave healthy ones 
