PROTECTION Sil 
venience into the following parts: 1. Protection 
against fire. 2. Protection against atmospheric 
agencies. 3. Protection against injurious insects. 
4. Protection against grazing and browsing animals. 
5. Protection against parasitic plants. 6. Protection 
against weeds. 
1. Protection against Fire.-—The greatest enemy 
to the forest in America is fire. With the exception 
of a few instances, from unavoidable natural causes, 
such as lightning, fires are caused either directly or 
indirectly by the carelessness or maliciousness of man- 
kind. Forest fires are by no means confined to this 
country. They occur to less extent in Europe, but 
are not uncommon in Russia, France, and Algeria. 
Fires are frequent in South Africa, Australia, India, 
and Canada. Sufficient space is not ordinarily de- 
voted to this subject even in European works on 
forest protection. Statistics relating to fires form un- 
pleasant reading for those engaged in the administra- 
tion of forests. 
Perhaps of all the fires of the world, the con- 
flagration which occurred in Minnesota in 1894 was 
the fiercest. Not to mention other destruction, six 
hundred people were killed. 
The main causes of fires vary with the district. 
In general, locomotives deserve first place. Fires 
thus caused may be prevented by the construction 
