FORESTRY MOVEMENT IN UNITED STATES. 393 



In consequence of the terrible warning by the 

 forest fires of 1894, which destroyed nearly three 

 quarter million dollars' worth of property, and sev- 

 eral hundred lives, Minnesota created the office of 

 chief fire warden, acting under the state auditor 

 as forest commissioner, in charge of an organized 

 service to combat forest fires. The chief fire war- 

 den is also required to furnish annual reports, with 

 suggestions relative to the preservation of forests 

 and the prevention of forest fires. The four or 

 five reports issued, show that the protective ser- 

 vice is tolerably effective in spite of deficient ap- 

 propriations, and the fact that the questions of 

 forestry are systematically kept before the pub- 

 lic is bound to result sooner or later in more com- 

 prehensive action. 



The third of the three great lumber states, Wis- 

 consin, was also scared by the forest fires of 1894 

 into enacting a forest fire law, similar to the Min- 

 nesota law, which followed the principles of organ- 

 ization first inaugurated in the New York law of 

 1885. Here the chief clerk of the state land 

 office, and his deputy, were made forest wardens 

 without additional salary. Towns are limited to 

 $100 per year expenditure in extinguishing fires. 

 It is easy to judge what the efficiency of such ser- 

 vice may be. An attempt, through a commission 

 of inquiry created in 1897, to commit the state 

 further has so far failed. 



In the first year of the new century, two other 



