282 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



than $15,000. This forest-lire menace is a two-edged sword, 

 for, while it cuts its way into the town treasury, it is at the 

 same time destroying the property which supplies the revenue 

 to that treasury. 



The present system of collecting fire reports in this office was 

 inaugurated three years ago, and we thought that it would give 

 opportunity for an interesting study if the data for 1908, 1909 

 and 1910 were placed side by side. Perhaps the most striking 

 feature is the similarity in the totals for number of fires, acres 

 burned and damage done. Looking at the table more closely, 

 we find some interesting variations. For instance, the figures 

 for March, 1910, greatly exceed those for March, 1908 and 

 1909. Spring came early last year, and the season of spring 

 fires was present sooner than usual. There were comparatively 

 few fires during the summer, although it was accounted a dry 

 one. On the Cape, where most of the summer fires occur, they 

 had considerable rainfall during July and August. The drought 

 in October is reflected in the fire data for that month. The 

 October fires were very severe, in that they burned in the peat 

 and humus, many of them for weeks, and only severe rains 

 extinguished them. 



We find in the table of causes comparisons of more impor- 

 tance and interest. We find, for instance, that the number of 

 fires caused by the railroads has steadily decreased, and we 

 feel that this represents real progress on their part, although 

 plenty of room is left for improvement. The number, of fires 

 caused by the burning of brush materially increased, and this 

 would seem to be a cause for disappointment, in view of the 

 general adoption of the present law ; but owing to the provisions 

 of this very law, which make it easier to place responsibility, 

 it is the number of fires reported with this cause, and not the 

 actual number of fires caused by burning brush, which have 

 increased. 



Fires caused by the careless use of matches in the hands of 

 boys, fishermen, hunters, berry pickers, etc., have been the 

 cause of more concern during the past year than ever before. 

 Although the number under this head is not large, there is no 

 doubt that most of the fires labelled " Unknown " would be 



