532 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



We have experienced considerable trouble with fires just over the town 

 line this year. While we have made improvement along this line during 

 the past three years we still have town officials who refuse to go into an 

 adjoining town and extinguish a small fire, preferring to let it burn up to 

 the line and then endeavor to extinguish it. I feel that our district war- 

 dens will in time overcome this jealousy between towns, so that we shall 

 not then have these serious town line fires. 



The power sprayers in use by many towns in the suppression of the 

 gypsy and brown-tail moths have demonstrated their value at forest fires, 

 possibly more along the North Shore than in any other portion of the 

 State. During the months of September and October one was located at 

 Beverly, one at Essex and one at Manchester. These were at the disposal 

 of the forest wardens in these towns, and were brought into use at several 

 fires. At a turf fire in Beverly two of them were in use for several days 

 and did very effective work. 



As our appropriation for forest-fire protective work is only S23,000, we 

 have not been able to do as much construction work as we had desired to, 

 but we have made it a point to erect substantial, permanent observation 

 towers in each instance. These towers are all set on cement abutments 

 which go below frost line, and all that is now required, that they may last 

 for years, is painting once in three years. Nine of them have been painted 

 this year. 



We are asking for an increase of $7,000 in our appropriation this year, 

 making a total of 130,000, which is absolutely necessary if we are to com- 

 plete our construction work and maintain the present forest-fire policy. 

 It is important that each of the four district wardens be furnished with a 

 suitable truck properly equipped with fire-fighting apparatus, wliich may 

 be held in readiness for use in case of emergencies. This would enable 

 them to take on ten or more trained fire fighters and go to any serious fire. 

 The above appropriation would allow the purchasing of at least two this 

 year. The importance of such a truck was demonstrated at a fire on 

 Sugar Loaf Moimtain, New Ashford, which, after burning thirty-six 

 hours, had assumed such proportions that it was practically beyond con- 

 trol. Owing to the serious fires burning west of the Cormecticut River 

 we had shipped to our district forest warden a supply of equipment for 

 his use. This equipment, consisting of pumps, extinguishers, etc., was 

 loaded on an automobile at 10 o'clock at night, and a 40-mile run was 

 made to New Ashford, the district man arriving there about 2 o'clock in 

 the morning. At 7 o'clock that morning 30 men were at work with the 

 equipment on the fire, and before night the fire was under absolute con- 

 trol. This is but one case in many where the town had absolutely no 

 equipment, and without a doubt this fire would have burned over a large 

 area of the Greylock Reservation if assistance had not arrived at that 

 time. This shows the importance of having equipment, with ways and 

 means of getting to disastrous fires. While many of our towns have suffi- 

 cient equipment for handling ordinary fires, it is an impossibility for them 



