to the public. In rainy weather, when fires are unlikely, em- 

 ployment is always at hand in erecting watch towers on com- 

 manding sites selected in going about the country, in com- 

 piling maps from data obtained when on patrol, in clearing 

 out trails and portages, and other work of a similar useful 

 character. 



Rangers take care to select points for patrol headquarters 

 which can be reached quickly by telephone if possible, at any 

 rate by mail. Thus, in any emergency, a patrolman can 

 quickly get in touch with the ranger, and vice versa. Pa- 

 trolmen are required to keep a diary, recording therein the 

 business of each day. These are forwarded to the ranger 

 once a week, to be summarized together with his own. While 

 the nature of a ranger's duties is such that he must spend a 

 part of his time in district headquarters, he devotes the great- 

 er part of it to going about his district advising with the pa- 

 trolmen, supervising the work of the latter, planning new 

 activities for them, and looking after such matters as are be- 

 yond the authority of the patrolmen. 



Some patrolmen are retained during the winter to assist 

 the rangers in looking after slash disposal. Although most 

 of them are laid off duty in October, others furloughed until 

 the beginning of the next fire season. 



This field organization of the forest service has been aided 

 by a system of auxiliary and subsidiary forces, fluctuating in 

 numbers and capable of much enlargement at need. These 

 have been chiefly patrolmen of private corporations installed 

 at the instigation of the forester, patrolmen furnished by 

 townships by provision of the forest law, patrolmen retained 

 in co-operation with the Indian department of the United 

 States and the federal forest service, together with the offi-. 

 cers of the national forests, deputized as state officers to co- 

 operate with the state service. All, by systematic arrange- 

 ment tending to efficiency in fire prevention, have been more 

 or less directly under the supervision of the state forester 

 and the district rangers, and responsible for them. 



17 



