92 WESTERN HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



all to deal with, as it is manifestly impossible, or almost so, 

 to exercise any supervision over the mining- prospector. The 

 governing" authorities have come in for no little criticism for 

 what is thought to be the lax manner in which the laws 

 relating- to prairie and bush fires are administered. But, 

 while it is easy to criticize, it is not easy to suggest a more 

 efficient means of preventing- these fires. When it is con- 

 sidered what a sparsely settled and extensive country lies 

 north of the 49th parallel and that inflammable material lies 

 under your feet wherever you go, the difficulty of providing 

 safeguards becomes apparent. The chief hope of a remedy, 

 it seems to me, lies in an improved public sentiment on the 

 question ; and this, Mr. President, if I do not misunderstand 

 the aims of your Society, is one of the objects you have in 

 view. 



Dr. Franklin B. Hough, who acted as Chief of the 

 Forestry Branch of the Agricultural Department at Washing- 

 ton for several years, has gone into the subject of forest fires 

 very exhaustively. In his report, Vol. 3, he devotes no less 

 than 130 pages to that subject alone. 



A circular was issued from the Department under his 

 care, to its correspondents in the several States and Terri- 

 tories, with a view of ascertaining the extent of injuries that 

 have been sustained and observed through forest fires, the 

 causes of these fires so far as known, and the methods com- 

 monly employed for preventing them, or arresting them when 

 started and under way. The circular invited such sugges- 

 tions as might appear advisable concerning the means for 

 preventing the continued recurrence of these calamities. 

 Some of the suggestions and advice given are worthy of note 

 and might be adopted with advantage. One correspondent 

 says, in answer to the request for suggestions : 



" 1. Open the eyes of the people to the danger, the im- 

 mense destruction of property, the rapidly shrinking streams, 

 the increase in the duration of droughts, the blighting of 

 landscapes, and the general climatic effect. This can be 

 done by national publications fitted for the common people, 



