296 CONSERVATION 



lems be solved and the rights of the find more economical methods of em- 

 present generation and of future gen- ploying workers than that of leaving- 

 erations be conserved. them to destroy immensely valuable 



property that they may be paid a pit- 

 tance for saving a remnant of it. How- 



Biltmore Forest Fire ever > Jt is encouraging to observe that 



rewards are being offered at Biltmore 



ON APRIL 8 and 9 disastrous fires for evidence leading to the conviction 

 occurred in the forests on the Van- of the incendiaries, and that public 

 derbilt estate near Ashevile, N. C. The opinion seems to be ready to deal vigor- 

 fire destroyed immensely valuable ously with them if found, 

 groves of young poplars on a 10,000- $t % % 

 acre reforested tract of the Biltmore 

 estate and then swept over 2O,OOO acres Private Interests Protecting against Fire 



of virgin forest on the Pisgah Reserve, 



causing enormous damage. M R - KELLOGG'S statement m his. 



It is reported that people living near L Y 1 P a P er > " What Forest Conservation 



the preserve fought the fire desperately, Means," regarding protection work by 



both from a kindly desire to aid Mr. P nvate agencies is interesting. While 



Vanderbilt and with the hope of saving appealing for state action, backed by 



their own property, which was endan- am P le funds > he P leads also for coopera- 



gerect by showers of sparks. As often, tion with timberland owners, and m- 



however, as the fire was extinguished stances what some such owners have 



in one place, other fires sprang up at done - " Four forest protective associa- 



different points. The latter, it is be- tlons in "orthern Idaho, for instance, 



lieved, were set by incendiaries who, it organized in accordance with the laws 



is supposed, had become offended by of that state ' protected a million and a 



some of the forest employees, or be- quarter acres of forest land and kept 



cause they had been prevented from the damage down to a comparatively 



hunting and fishing on the Vanderbilt small amount." 



preserve Evidently private individuals and 



Incendiary forest fires are not un- agencies can do things in this field, 

 known. The fires at Biltmore, if ac- Furthermore, in _ the instance quoted, 

 tually due to incendiaries, seem to have they have not hesitated to spend money, 

 been attributed to spite. In CONSERVA- The cost to these associations of this 

 TION for March" (page 175) instances protection was four cents per acre, 

 were given of other forest fires kindled How much this is relatively may be- 

 by incendiaries. These fires, however, inferred from the accompanying state- 

 were attributed to economic motives, ment that the Forest Service had but 

 People fired the woods in order to ob- one and one-half cents per acre to 

 tain work and wages in extinguishing spend upon the National Forests for all 

 the fires. On a visit to Biltmore, a kinds of work and administration, in- 

 year ago last fall, the writer was told eluding fire fighting, 

 that such fires were not unknown in Such action by private individuals 

 that region. Broadly viewed, of course, and agencies should be recognized' 

 such methods are expensive. They and encouraged. At the same time, we 

 suggest Charles Lamb's story of the must not err by supposing that it will 

 origin of roast pig, according to which cover the whole case. The public can- 

 a man would burn a house in order to not shirk its responsibility and shoulder 

 roast a pig. Later, however, less ex- the burden of protection against fire 

 pensive methods of preparing this spe- off upon individuals. It must do its 

 cies of food were devised. Likewise, it own work, or expect to see that work 

 would seem that civilized society could remain unperformed. 



