462 



FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION 



September 



year the values from that country were 

 slightly below the annual average, while 

 those from Canada were above, and for 

 the first time in many years outvalued 

 those of Brazil, and led those of all 

 other countries. Brazil's lead comes 

 from the great quantities of rubber she 

 sends to the United States, while Can- 

 ada's importations are chiefly lumber. 

 The two together furnish imports to the 

 value of $33,000,000, or considerably 

 more than half of the entire volume 

 from foreign countries. After these 

 countries come the United Kingdom, 

 British East Indies, Belgium, Portu- 

 gal, Germany, British Oceania, and 

 Mexico, in order, and all of these im- 

 port forest products to the value of 

 $1,000,000 or over. 



Of our exports, the United Kingdom, 

 in lumber as in most other things, took 



the greater amounts, the forest products 

 shipped to that destination having an 

 aggregate value, in 1902 , of $i 6, 23 1 ,000. 

 No other country took nearly so much, 

 and the next in order was Germany, 

 with $4,233,000 worth. Then followed 

 the Netherlands, Canada, Mexico, Bel- 

 gium, France, British Australasia, Ar- 

 gentina, and Italy, in order, all of these 

 taking products valued in excess of 

 $1,000,000. 



These statistics, which were prepared 

 by the Division of Foreign Markets of 

 the Department of Agriculture, natu- 

 rally include only what might be termed 

 the raw forest products, and the vast 

 amount of manufactured articles which 

 use wood in their construction, such as 

 furniture, farm machinery, carriages, 

 and other finished products, are not 

 counted in such a tabulation. 



FOREST FIRE RECORD. 



IN ACCORDANCE WITH ESTABLISHED RULE, THE 

 SCENE OF GREAT FOREST FIRES DURING AUGUST 

 HAS SHIFTED FROM THE EAST TO THE WEST. 



IN the fall of the year the scene of 

 forest fires, like the " course of em- 

 pire, westward takes its way." With 

 the exception of a single fire in the New 

 England States, there has been none of 

 any great magnitude east of the Mis- 

 sissippi River since our July record, and 

 only one east of the Rockies. Colorado 

 and Utah were both visited by forest 

 fires, but with the exception of these 

 the greater part of the destruction has 

 been confined to the three states on the 

 Pacific Coast Washington, Oregon, and 

 California. 



New Hampshire. A fire two miles 

 north of North Danville started July 27. 

 Besides doing considerable damage to 

 standing timber, destroyed 25 cords of 

 wood and 200,000 feet of sawed lumber, 

 most of which was insured. The fire 

 started from a lighted match carelessly 

 thrown on the ground by some wood- 

 choppers. 



Minnesota. Mayor Stein, of Cass 

 Lake, Minnesota, who, under the laws 

 of Minnesota is a deputy fire warden 



by virtue of his office, sent a telegram 

 to General C. C. Andrews, Chief Fire 

 Warden of the state, saying that forest 

 fires were burning on Star Island, which 

 is government land, reserved by the 

 Morris bill. This was on July 28. 

 General Andrews replied, " Take 30 to 

 60 men and quell fire. ' ' This was done, 

 and the action was in marked contrast 

 to the quibbling between government 

 and state rangers as to who should put 

 out a California fire which was in dis- 

 puted territory. While their petty fight 

 as to jurisdiction was going on, the fire 

 was burning and gaining headway. 



Colorado. What was at first reported 

 as a serious forest fire on Cameron's 

 Cone, near Colorado Springs, turned out 

 to be a brush fire which did little dam- 

 age, and was extinguished by railroad 

 section men within three hours after it 

 started, on August 5. The promptness 

 of their work averted what might have 

 been a damaging fire, as there is much 

 inflammable timber in the neighborhood . 



Utah. Brush fires, started by camp- 



