222 



BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



Causes of Forest Fikes in Massachusetts, 1909. 



Causes. 



Berry pickers 



Blasting fuse, .... 

 Boys set fire, .... 



Burning brush 



Campers 



Carelessness, .... 



Charcoal 



Children playing, .... 



Coals dumped 



Cranberry bogs 



Electric wires, .... 



Fire balloons 



Fireworks and Arc crackers, 



Fishermen, 



Grass fires, 



Gypsy moth, 



Hunters, 



Incendiary 



Lightning 



Locomotive sparks, 

 Mayflower parties, 

 Picnic parties, .... 

 Rubbish fires, .... 



Smokers 



Steam saw mills 



Spark from burning building, . 



Spark from forest fire, 



Steam roller, .... 



Scattering 



Unknown 



Wood choppers 



Reported too late for tubulating, 

 Total, 



No. 



Per Cent. 



2.5 

 1 



83 

 lOS 

 i) 

 •2 

 1 

 9 

 5 

 1 

 2 

 1 

 4 

 2 



30 

 6 

 8 



36 



1 



497 



2 



2 



31 

 !H) 

 5 

 6 



n 



3 



106 



360 



3 



1.72 



5.72 

 7.51 



2.48 



34.26 



2.13 

 6.20 



0.76 



7.33 

 24.89 



1,513 



Arrests and Convictions. 

 Forest wardens have been extremely lenient as regards ar- 

 rests for violations of the State forest fire laws, — altogether too 

 iniu'h so, it is l)e]ieved. The idea has heen to caution people 



