No. 4.] 



REPORT OF STATE FORESTER. 



283 



placed ill this culumn if they cuiild be traced out; so that we 

 feel sure that they cause as luauy fires as the railroads, and 

 are more dangerous, because the smoke is everywhere, while 

 the railroad tire is confined to a certain district, and can be 

 more or less anticipated. The time has not arrived when we 

 can get a sweeping injunction prohibiting all smoking in the 

 woods ; but there is no doubt that by the necessary gradual 

 posting of all private land against trespassing this condition 

 will come in time. 



As long as we have forest fires, there will be problems con- 

 nected with them, and their solution will not come all at once; 

 but there are certain features which can and should have imme- 

 diate attention. In the first place, the office should have the 

 services of a man whose entire time can be spent on forest-fire 

 work. An assistant or chief forest warden, so called, would find 

 a very considerable portion of his time taken up in carrying out 

 the provisions of the fire-equipment reimbursement act ; another 

 portion would be well occupied in the collecting and listing of 

 reports; and the remainder could be well used in visiting and 

 assisting whatever forest wardens seemed to require such aid. 

 If the Legislature should add to the authority of the State 

 Forester other duties in the line of fighting fires and making 

 arrests, this assistant would be a very busy man indeed. 



