306 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



no town being allowed an amount exceeding $250. This equipment 

 must be approved by the State Forester and placed under the supervision 

 of the town forest warden subject to inspection at least once a month by 

 the State Fire Warden or his duly authorized assistants. There are 172 

 towns in the Commonwealth which come within the provisions of this 

 act, and owing to the fund not having been exhausted in the two previous 

 years, a special effort was made early this season to interest towns in the 

 necessity of taking advantage of the act, thereby better providing them- 

 selves with suitable equipment. The results have proved very satisfactory. 

 Over 60 towns liave filed their applications for reimbursement. The 

 appropriation not being sufficient, but 45 towns were reimbursed, to the 

 amount of $4,989.99. This exhausted the appropriation, and made it 

 necessary to carry the balance of nearly $2,000 due other towns over to 

 another year. 



In selecting equipment several towns have purchased forest fu-e wagons 

 complete with extinguishers and Marshfield cans, while other towns, 

 not as favorably situated, have pm-chased a large number of extinguishers, 

 distributing them among their deputies in the rural and timbered districts, 

 each deputy being supplied with at least five extinguishers with necessary 

 charges and water cans. This department holds receipts from the forest 

 wardens for all equipment purchased under the reimbursement act. 



There are 182 towns, with a valuation exceeding $1,500,000, which 

 are not entitled to reimbursement. These towns arc obliged to assume 

 the total expense for whatever equipment they deem necessar3^ Several 

 of them, seeing the necessity of improving their equipment, have pur- 

 chased forest fire wagons and extinguishers, while other towns have 

 purchased 30-horse power and 40-horse power motor trucks fully equipped 

 for handling forest fires. Besides carrying the necessary equipment they 

 are also able to carry from 20 to 30 men and make from 30 to 40 miles 

 per hour. The towns of Plymouth, Hopedale, Winchendon, Rutland and 

 Dover have purchased such trucks during the past year. 



Our reports show the total amount expended for forest fire equipment 

 this year throughout the Commonwealth to be $23,389.88. The follow- 

 ing tables show, first, an itemized statement of the equipment purchased 

 during the years 1910, 1911 and 1912 under the reimbursement act, and 

 the amount received by each town from the Commonwealth during that 

 period; second, a list of the towns having purchased equipment this year, 

 and the amount of reimbursement received by them. 



Railroad Fires. 

 I am pleased to report many improved conditions in the railroad fire 

 situation. While there is no law in this State permitting inspection of 

 locomotives by this department, through the courtesy of Mr. W. L. Larry, 

 inspector for the Board of Railroad Commissioners, I accompanied him 

 on several inspection trips covering a number of Boston & Albany, Boston 

 & Maine, and New York, New Haven & Hartford locomotives. The 



