material that may aid in the successful prosecution of 

 this war. Timber is an important item. Cantonments, 

 shipyards, temporary buildings, airplanes, mines, rail- 

 roads, trenches, ammunition cases and hundreds of 

 other war operations are dependent upon it. Already 

 many of them have been delayed because of a lumber 

 shortage. Every tree burned in the woods is an abso- 

 lute loss that may count heavily against us. 



Above all there is a shortage of labor, a shortage of 

 in en to put the fires out and a shortage of men to re- 

 place the labor put into those logs lying scattered 

 throughout the woods. 



Then let us be careful to watch for the fires of others. 

 If it is already a big fire, notify the ranger; if it is a 

 small one, put it out yourself. That is all the ranger 

 could do himself. 



THE FIRE THAT GOT AWAY 



By. D. LANGE 



THERE is a patch of brushy timber on the bluffs of 

 the Minnesota river which for two years has been 

 trying hard to grow into a thriving woodlot. 



Nature has done her best. The pigs have planted 

 some acorns, the birds have brought the seeds of the 

 black cherry, while the wind has planted poplars, elm 

 and ash. 



But now comes the sad part of the tale. What ought 

 to be a thriving patch of woodland is in reality a ragged 

 brushlot. 



Some thoughtless person dropped a match in the dry 

 grass. The fire ran into the woods, it injured every 



13 



