282 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pul). Doc. 



sachusetts to be expended in co-operative effort in such sections of the 

 Commonwealth as would properly come within the provisions of the bill. 

 This restricted our co-operative work to the western portion of the State, 

 including the watersheds of the Nashua, Chicopee, Miller, Thames, 

 Blackstone, Hudson, Connecticut and Deerfield rivers. As it was late in 

 the season before final arrangements could be completed with the govern- 

 ment, and as an unusually wet season prevailed, we were able to use only 

 $360 of the allotment, allowing the balance to apply to the operations to 

 be carried on in the year 1912. Under the terms of the agreement en- 

 tered into with the United States government the State is required to 

 expend an amount equal to that expended by the federal authorities in 

 protecting the above-named territory. 



Railroad Co-operation in Forest Fire Fighting. 



In tabulating our forest fire reports for the past season, while we find 

 that the total number of fires from all causes is greatly in excess of former 

 years, owing to the severe drought, the percentage of railroad fires is 

 slightly reduced, although they still outnumber those of any other known 

 cause. I sometimes think we are too hasty to criticize the railroads, not 

 knowing the exact conditions they have to contend with; and unless one 

 has made a study of railroad fires and preventive, methods it is difficult 

 to realize what it means to the railroads to completely eliminate railroad 

 fires. 



At this point allow mc to say that the railroad fire proposition in this 

 State is just in its infancy; therefore there is a chance for a great improve- 

 ment. When we take into consideration that there are 2,110 miles of 

 track and over 1,000 locomotives in use throughout the State it is not 

 surprising that we must necessarily have a large number of forest fires 

 from this source. Massachusetts is not the only State having this trouble, 

 but practically every State throughout the west, where wood, coal or coke 

 are used for fuel, is having the same experience. 



Railroad officials throughout the country have been endeavoring for 

 the past few years to construct a spark arrester, whereby railroad fires 

 would be eliminated and also allow the free steaming of a locomotive. 

 What is the result? Thousands of dollars have been spent on this alone, 

 and still they are unable to meet the requirements. During the past 

 season tests have been made on different railroads of new types of spark 

 arresters or spark and cinder collectors, whereby the cinders are returned 

 to the firebox and reburned, thereby saving a certain percentage in coal 

 and practically eliminating railroad fires from this source. They are at 

 present in the experimental stage, with the outlook very favorable that 

 they will accomplish the desired results, and if this proves true, the rail- 

 roads of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts will, without doubt, adopt 

 them, thereby saving the many thousands of dollars they are annually 

 paying out for fighting railroad fires and in settling railroad fire damages. 



