78 CANADIAN FOBE STBT ASSOCIATION. 



ditches very often contain water, or at least are well wetted and moist; thus, 

 if a spark from a locomotive starts a fire and it runs to this wet ground or 

 water, it is quenched and cannot spread further. Even if the ditch is quite 

 dry, one man with such a fire-break to assist him, could easily control a fire, 

 if not entirely snuff it out. If the ditch is close to the rails, there is nothing 

 to prevent the fire going right ahead, as the sparks often land on the far 

 side of it. Some argue that a wide strip cleared of forest, each side of the 

 tracks, is a preventive against fire from engine sparks. At first blush it 

 would appear so, but seriously, is this the case? If this wide strip exists, 

 it is wholly true that the maximum of evaporation will also exist, and in 

 spring and fall, and in a summer drought, could anything be more combus- 

 tible? A fire once started on this strip would run fast, and on reaching the 

 forest, have gathered such headway and volume, that the humidity there 

 would fail to resist its onset. Fire rangers should make it their duty to 

 keep well cleared, all shanty roads, so that if a fire occurs they can make 

 the greatest possible use of these avenues as fire breaks; besides this, the 

 feature of being able to move about from point to point more quickly by 

 means of these roads, if kept free of windfalls, is an important one. 



The Church authorities in Quebec assist in the protection of the forests 

 in a large measure, the fact of a priest or clergyman touching on the subject 

 from the pulpit, is a strong lever in our hands and makes for the general 

 welfare. We appreciate very warmly this assistance and co-operation on 

 the part of the Church, and trust we will always be able to count upon it. 



Lumbermen should be careful in their choice of men to patrol near the 

 settlements; such rangers need to be tactful, well posted on the law. They 

 should reason with the settlers, and in a majority of cases these latter, when 

 approached in the proper way, will see for themselves that no hardship is 

 intended, but, on the contrary, that the law is framed for the public good. 

 The lumbermen should also give to the men in charge of the drives very 

 strict orders to see personally that all precautions against fire are taken. 

 The season is dangerous when log driving is going on, the snow is rapidly 

 disappearing in the forests and vegetation has not yet begun. Every Mon- 

 day morning, say, the foreman should assemble the men and warn them to 

 be careful. The cook should be closely watched and not allowed to leave 

 camp until his fire has been absolutely extinguished and thoroughly drenched 

 with water from the stream. At supply depots, keep-over provision build- 

 ings and other convenient points, lumbermen should keep a full line of im- 

 plements, axes, hoes, shovels and picks, so that the rangers may be in a 

 position to equip any men they can get hold of in case of a fire occurring. 



It is apparent that rangers should frequent the prominent elevations 

 on their beats. From there the most extended views are obtainable, and 

 they are more likely to detect a fire from such points than if they keep to 

 the level ground and depressions. Rangers should be instructed specially 

 to be on the lookout for mining prospectors : It is so much cheaper and 

 more expeditious to lay bare the surface by means of fire than by manual 

 labor. To lop off the branches of tree tops left in the forest after logging, 

 and allow the trunk to rest on the ground, and thus be kept perpetually 

 moist, would in many ways be a great safeguard against fire. But to do 

 this would entail some expense; the question to the lumberman is, would re- 



