34 SECOND ANNUAL CONVENTION 



been in operation for some time, but the whole system has shown its weak- 

 ness in not making any provision for Are patrol and an utter lack of funds 

 to carry on the protective work. The cooperation of the Federal Government, 

 under the Weeks law, solves for us one of these great questions, namely, the 

 forest patrol. Outside of the mountain counties the forests are generally 

 held in woodlots, or isolated wooded tracts, where a fire patrol is less im- 

 portant. With the Federal cooperation, however, we are able to meet this 

 situation without a change in our forest laws. The question, however, of 

 increased appropriations for fire protection work is yet unsolved, but the 

 fact that the Government has agreed to practically duplicate the amount we 

 spend for fire protection purposes is the strongest kind of an argument that 

 could be used for securing a special appropriation for forest protection from 

 the Legislature this winter. The very limited amount that we had to expend 

 has greatly curtailed the amount that could be secured from the Federal 

 Government, but it has strikingly shown the need of extending the work. 



A general discussion of the subject of cooperative fire protection 

 under the Weeks law was then taken up, Mr. Alston Grimes and Mr. 

 E. A. Blake of the Norfolk and Western Railway taking a prominent 

 part. In answer to a question, Mr. Peters said that the implements of 

 warfare in firefighting were the hoe, the rake, and the collapsible canvas 

 bag. In regard to the j)ay we shall give to patrolmen, he said that 

 various wages were paid, some receiving compensation by the hour, 

 others by the month. He declared that volunteers are supported by the 

 State and compensation to them varies from fifteen cents or twenty cents 

 to fifty cents an hour. 



Mr. Hugh MacRae, of Wilmington, then read an address on the 

 "Stock Law and Forest Protection," prefacing his remarks with the 

 statement that his subject was not a popular one, and giving as one of 

 his reasons that men are not naturally lovers of effort. 



THE STOCK LAW AND FOREST PEOTECTIO^. 



By Hugh MacRae. 



The question of Stock Law in its relation to forestry is so simple that it 

 could be covered by a few emphatic sentences, but as this would savor of 

 dogmatism and would not further the economic interests which we have met 

 here to consider, I am going to ask you to let me surround the bare statement 

 of facts with certain bits of information which I hope will emphasize the 

 importance of this subject. 



I shall speak of the longleaf pine forests of the coastal plain, because the 

 problem there is simple and will serve very well to illustrate the subject. As 

 to these forests of the coastal plain, could Nature have been more prodigal? 

 Could we have been less appreciative? Here is a tree, the longleaf pine, of 

 the very highest economic value, absolutely suited to soil and climate, which 

 Nature insists on reproducing. 



