REPORT ON FORESTS. 269 



and railroads, are necessary. Railroad companies should be 

 required to construct lanes, broad and clean enough along their 

 tracks, to eliminate all danger from flying sparks, to ditch all 

 swamp-lands to water or sand on the outer edge of the lane, and 

 to constantly use efficient spark-arresters on their engines. The 

 townships should be required to construct similar lanes along 

 all public roads. In this way, what are now points of danger, 

 from which the majority of fires start, would become avenues 

 for the prevention of its spread, and would serve at the same 

 time as vantage points in combatting it. Whenever possible 

 these fire-lanes should be kept under cultivation, in other places 

 the brush * should be cut, and all combustible materials burned 

 at a time when there is no danger of setting fire to the adjoining 

 woods. The usual method of extinguishing extensive fires is 

 by "back-firing" or "counter-firing." This is, however, dan- 

 gerous work, and should not be attempted save by those who 

 are experienced and capable. Very often the back-fires, set by 

 inexperienced, excited persons, have not only resulted in disas- 

 trous conflagrations, but have rendered the skillful work of others 

 of no avail. For the extinguishment of surface-fires, shovels, 

 sand and hard work are usually sufficient. Fortunately, sand is 

 everywhere plentiful, except in swamps. It is often possible to 

 beat out surface-fires with a green bough or bush. In the extin- 

 guishment of ground-fires, or those which burn in the peat of 

 swamps, it is necessary to confine them within certain limits by 

 digging deep trenches. 



Formerly charcoal burners set fire to the forest in order to be 

 able to purchase it cheaply, by rendering it unfit for any other 

 purpose than coal wood. The charcoal industry is done, but the 

 natives still fire the huckleberry-bush to produce fresh shoots on 

 which the finer berries grow. Berry-picking is an important 

 industry, and the occurrence of such fires is common. The main 

 differences between the conditions existing in Southern New 

 Jersey and the peninsula between the Chesapeake and the Dela- 



* The " Esterel," a region of France not far from Cannes, is famous for the elaborate fire measures 

 which are in force there. It is a mountainous district, thinly covered with pine and cork-oak and 

 extremely susceptible to fire, which causes great havoc when the very violent wind, called mistral* 

 blows. I visited it a few years ago and was surprised to find that, in addition to the formation of many 

 fire-lanes, the removal of underbrush, observation posts, telephone, perfectly organized patrols, etc., 

 that they burn over patches of the surface every year from December to February with the object of 

 preventing the growth of weeds and underbrush and the accumulation of combustible litter. Little by 

 little the whole area is burned over in this way. 



