STATE NEWS 



Massachusetts 



The watch for forest fires in this state 

 The Boston Chamber of Commerce News 

 is impressed with the results already ob- 

 tained through the system of forest fire pre- 

 vention which followed last year's appropria- 

 tion of $10,000 for a forest fire warden. 

 It is believed that the difference between 

 $500,000 and $30,000 represents the saving 

 of forest property in Massachusetts in the 

 year. State Fire Warden Hutchins is in 

 charge of the work, assisted by 14 men, one 

 at each of the stations in operation. Before 

 the stations were established last year the 

 damage by forest fires amounted to $501,944, 

 while during the same period this year the 

 damage reported was only about $30,000. 



Ohio 



"We must either reforest our denuded 

 acres in Ohio or build cyclone cellars to pro- 

 vide safety from the windstorms that are 

 becoming common in the state." 



This is the conclusion of A P. Sandles, 

 secretary of the Ohio State Board of Agri- 

 culture, after a careful investigation of 

 storm damage through the state during the 

 present year. 



Sandles, who always is digging through 

 the facts connected with agriculture in the 

 state, is strong for more trees. He is firmly 

 convinced that, with thousands of acres of 

 trees growing, there would be less storm 

 damage, more surplus moisture stored up 

 in the earth for the benefit of the growing 

 crops and a better condition generally for 

 all the people. His first advice is to plant 

 trees. If he has anything further it would 

 be to keep on planting trees. 



"The storage of surplus moisture for the 

 growing crops is largely dependent on the 

 timber area about the headwaters of streams 

 and near the farms," Sandles claims. He 

 insists that, with more trees in the state, 

 there would be more and better corn, oats, 

 wheat and hay and even the high cost of 

 living would be given a fatal thrust if the 

 trees were planted and natural conditions 

 for this climate restored. 



"The state ought to have thousands of 

 acres of new growing trees planted next 

 year, he says. We ought to increase the 

 acreage of trees planted every year until the 

 denuded hills again are covered with the 

 trees that were supplied by nature when the 

 country was wild. With that will come the 

 restoration of natural conditions and the 

 state will be much more prosperous. Plant 



the trees, fertilize the acres that have yielded 

 uncomplainingly for over a century, use 

 sound judgment in the rotation of crops 

 and Ohio will again produce a score of 

 bushels of wheat per inhabitant and the 

 question of the high cost of food stuffs in 

 that line, will have been settled." 



Washington 



Campers who carelessly start forest fires 

 in Washington state will be prosecuted 

 They ought to be prosecuted, and they ought 

 to be convicted and punished in all cases 

 where the proof shows that a lack of care 

 on their part is responsible for forest fires. 



Annually, during the dry season, forest 

 fires cost the state of Washington millions 

 of dollars. Forest fires exact a more pre- 

 cious toll in human lives also. Not infre- 

 quently, too, homes are swept away, and it 

 is all because of a lack of care and caution 

 on the part of persons who frequent and use 

 the woods of this state. 



It is easy to guard against forest fires. 

 When citizens break camp they should not 

 leave any fire behind them. By the use of 

 water or dirt they can extinguish the camp 

 fire ; it will take only a few minutes to do 

 it, and if campers will stop long enough 

 to think that they may thus save millions 

 of dollars in property values and at the same 

 time prevent many hardships, and possible 

 tragedies, they will not begrudge the time 

 spent in this way. 



Kentucky 



Under the Federal statute providing $200,- 

 000 annually for the purpose the United 

 States Bureau of Forestry will co-operate 

 with the Kentucky State Forestry Com- 

 mission. Either Chief Forester Graves or 

 Assistant Forester Greeley probably will 

 visit the State Commission in launching its 

 work. 



A statement to this effect was made by 

 Governor James B. McCreary after he had 

 had a lengthy interview in Washington with 

 the United States Chief Forester and his 

 first assistant. It is believed that either J. 

 E. Barton, a native of Michigan, whose wife 

 was a Princeton girl, or a Mr. Lafon, na- 

 tive of Mercer County, both now in the 

 government forestry service, will be ap- 

 pointed Kentucky Chief Forester by Gover- 

 nor McCreary following his return to Frank- 

 fort. 



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