366 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



No. 2, Barnstable, Bristol and Plymouth counties; District No. 3, Worces- 

 ter County and west to the Connecticut River; District No. 4, Berkshire 

 County and east to the Cormecticut River. Each district is under the 

 supervision of a district forest warden. Two changes have been made 

 in the personnel of the district forest wardens. Mr. James E. INIoloy, 

 who has had supervision of District No. 1, was made inspector of loco- 

 motives, being succeeded .by Mr. Oscar L. Noyes. Mr. Albert R. Ordway 

 has been appointed district warden of the 4th district to succeed Mr. 

 Frank L. Haynes, who has been promoted to the position of assistant 

 forester, assisting in the forest management work. 



The district forest wardens have full supervision of the work in their 

 districts, being in charge of the several observation stations, as well as 

 constructing telephone lines, erecting steel towers, map-making, visiting 

 each town and consulting with the selectmen and town forest wardens 

 and deputies relative to the need of additional equipment for handling 

 fires, and perfecting better forest fire-fighting organizations. This may 

 seem a very easy matter, but when we take into consideration that we 

 have 354 towns and cities, and that the matter of purchasing equipment 

 must be brought before the citizens at their annual or special town meet- 

 ings, it means an immense amount of work. 



In the work of perfecting town forest fire-fighting organizations we 

 have been handicapped owing to the appointment of 354 town and city 

 forest wardens being made by the selectmen of as many towns, this de- 

 partment simply having the approval of them. The result is that we 

 still have inefficient men in some towns, — men who are not interested in 

 the preservation of the forests and who know little, if anything, about 

 handling forest fires. This should be remedied by these appointments 

 being made by this department, thus making the department responsible 

 for the results. We should then have efficient men in every town. 



We have had in operation this year 21 observation stations reporting 

 to the town forest wardens 3,238 fires. 



District No. 1. — In addition to the four observation towers already 

 established in this district we have erected and equipped two 40-foot 

 steel towers. One of these is located in the town of Essex on Morse Hill, 

 which covers all of Cape Ann, as well as all the valuable timber land 

 along the North Shore. We are deeply indebted to Col. Wm. D. Sohier, 

 chairman of the North Shore summer residents committee, for his liberal 

 contribution of $900 toward the tower and 7 acres of land which were 

 acquired and donated to the Commonwealth. This tower was completed 

 April 24 and used throughout the season. The second tower was built 

 on Hart Hill in the town of Wakefield, this hill being a part of the city 

 reservation and making an ideal location for a tower. The town of Wake- 

 field contributed $350 toward this tower. 



It is very important that a tower be placed on Nobscot Hill in the town 

 of Framingham during the coming year, in order to assist several towns 

 that are now receiving no protection. These unprotected towns will 



