FOREST FIRES OF 1913 33 



The sums accredited to the lumber companies were actually expended 

 in wages and provisions for men fighting fires. The labour of farmers 

 is placed at $2.00 per day. The number of days employed is obtained 

 by accrediting to each farmer, whose property was endangered, an 

 average of three days' work — a ver>^ moderate estimate. In most cases 

 the women and children aided as well. 



While in the field the licensees of the timber berths were interviewed 

 with a view to arriving at an approximation of the amount of merchan- 

 table timber killed, but at the time of writing this valuation had not 

 been completed by all of the owners. However, from estimates by the 

 chief sufferers it appears probable that this will exceed $50,000. 



Much of the standing timber killed by fire will be saved by imme- 

 diate cutting, but every large operator reports more timber killed than 

 he can possibly cut before it is rendered useless by disease. Moreover, 

 as is well known, the cost of cutting and handling burned timber is 

 greater than that of green timber. On account of these factors, it is 

 difficult to estimate the actual loss in fire-killed timber. 



The coming of the rain during the last week of August was pro- 

 vidential, as it found the fire endangering farm buildings in nearly 

 ever>' township, and several villages would doubtless have been burned. 

 Therefore, the loss of buildings was not as great as might have been 

 expected. No farm buildings within the area considered by this report 

 were burned, but several just outside of it were destroyed. One lum- 

 ber company estimates its loss by way of camps, dams and equipment 

 burned, at $15,000. 



Farmers suffered severe losses through the burning of marsh hay. 

 The farmers in some of the townships are always dependent upon the 

 supply of marsh hay, and this was all the more pronounced during the 

 past summer on account of the almost complete failure of the cultivated 

 hay crop. In one township alone over 200 tons were burned. A mod- 

 erate estimate would place the marsh hay burned at 800 tons. The 

 hay was considered to be worth $8 a ton, which means a loss of 

 $6,400. Another item to charge to the fire account in this re- 

 spect is the destruction of the marshes upon which the farmers are de- 

 pendent. Many of them were burned to the depth of two feet, the 

 roots of the grasses being completely killed, so that it wiU be several 

 years before they can regain their productiveness. The cost of rebuild- 

 ing fences will be no small item to the farmers, for many miles of these 

 have been burned. 



The estimate of the actual damage caused by these fires, as given 

 above, is sufficient to refute the claim that "No particular damage was 

 done, as the fire ran through cut-over lands" ; but it is a mere bagatelle 

 when compared vnth the potential loss in youth growth. On page 64 

 of this report, it is estimated that the cut-over lands, in which most of 

 the recent fires were located, would yield at maturity on the average, 



