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States Forest Service in guarding against and extinguishing fires. 

 Organizations of similar kind and for a like purpose are at work 

 in Oregon and Idaho. In the latter State, a portion of the ex- 

 pense is borne by taxation and paid from the State Treasury. 

 A western railroad company which holds large tracts of timber has 

 taken steps to guard its property from fire, and during the short 

 time that its plans have been in operation, it has met with most 

 encouraging success. Similar work is being done on the other 

 side of the continent. Forest owners in Maine have gone to 

 work in the same systematic way to control the forests' great 

 enemy, fire. Like organizations are found in other parts of the 

 country, showing how fully it is now realized that protection 

 against fire is of the greatest importance. It is safe to say that 

 fires in this country have destroyed more timber than lumber- 

 men have cut. When timber was abundant, the waste passed 

 almost unnoticed, but now that a scarcity is at hand and an 

 actual wood famine threatens in the near future, the owners of 

 forest lands are waking up and taking action to save what is left." 

 The extensive fires in British Columbia and northern United 

 States this summer emphasize the importance of such measures 

 for the preservation of our forests. 



The Plant World for May contains an article on " Leather from 

 Cacti : Something New," by Frederick C. Wright. The author 

 says that, " One day, over a year ago, the writer, while handling 

 a piece of bisnaga [Echinocactus wislizeni) noticed, after the water 

 it contained was pressed from the fiber," that it became very pliable 

 and strong, like leather, but brittle and chalk-like when dry. 

 Then, " not being a scientist," he began a series of crude experi- 

 ments to obtain both strength and pliability, which he describes 

 as follows : " I boiled the fiber with mesquite bark and burnt rags 

 to tan and color it. I secured the color, but the fiber did not 

 tan. I soaked it in oil ; I used aluminum palmitate, tannic acid, 

 gum arable, caoutchouc, and I used glue, but none of these gave 

 results. But, late one night soon after, I went to bed and slept 

 the sleep of contentment, with a piece of perfect leather made 

 from cactus fiber in my hand. I used water and glycerine, about 



