A COMMON DELUSION 219 



cover, preparatory to cultivation, greatly increased the number 

 of forest and prairie fires which were started. As competition 

 for forage increased and range wars came into existence, fire was 

 used with great effectiveness, both by cattlemen and sheepmen, 

 to drive rival factions out of the country by destroying their 

 range. 



It is clear that in the early days burning off the vegetation 

 was a common practice. The fires undoubtedly extended over 

 enormous areas and varied in intensity according to the amount 

 of inflammable material, the velocity of the wind, and certain 

 other conditions. As a result, according to the best available 

 records, the general appearance of the lands and the type of 

 plant life which they supported were greatly changed. 



Present-Day Burning. — The rapid settlement of the country 

 and a greater appreciation of the value of forage, as well as an 

 ever-increasing dependence upon the forage, have materially 

 reduced the number of fires and the damage from them on all 

 types of land. Seriously destructive fires, however, still occur 

 in many parts of the country. According to the best available 

 estimates, an average of approximately 13,969,000 acres were 

 burned over annually in 1916, 191 7, and 1918, representing a 

 yearly loss of about $20,727,000. Since most of this area sup- 

 ports a considerable amount of forage upon which Hvestock is 

 grazed, it is apparent that this industry is greatly affected by the 

 fires. 



With the exception of certain sections in the South, most of 

 the present-day fires occur on forested lands, where, in the main, 

 they originate by accident. The practice of the willful setting 

 of fires each year is still prevalent in many sections of the South, 

 especially where the grasses and brush make a very robust 

 growth. Burning of heavy growths of brush or chaparral areas 

 is also resorted to more or less in certain parts of the far West, 

 particularly in California. 



A Common Delusion. — " Don't let 'em pull the wool over 

 your eyes," was the remark of an experienced and practical 

 farmer-stockman in eastern Nebraska as he " wet blanketed " 

 the flames along a grassy roadside adjacent to his native-grass 



