406 United States. 



plies. Eackless conflagrations almast invariably fol- 

 lowed the lumberman and destroyed generally the 

 remaining stand, and surely the young growth. So com- 

 mon did these conflagrations become, that they were con- 

 sidered unavoidable, and though laws intended to pro- 

 tect forest property against fires were found on the 

 statute books of every State, no attempt to enforce them 

 was made. 



No wonder that those observing this rapid decima- 

 tion of our forest supplies and the incredible wasteful- 

 ness and additional destruction by fire with no attention 

 to the aftergrowth, began again to sound the note of 

 alarm. Besides the writings in the daily press and other 

 non-official publications, we find the reports of the De- 

 partment of Agriculture more and more frequently 

 calling attention to the subject.. 



In a report issued by the Patent Office as early as 

 1849, we find the following significant language in a dis- 

 cussion on the rapid destruction of forests and their in- 

 fluence on water flow: 



" The waste of valuable timber in the United States, to say 

 nothing of firewood, will hardly begin to be appreciated until 

 our population reaches 50,000,000. Then the foUy and short- 

 sightedness of this age will meet with a degree of censure and 

 reproach not pleasant to contemplate." 



In 1865, the Eev. Frederic Starr discussed fully and 

 forcibly the American forests, their destruction and 

 preservation, in a lengthy article in which, with truly 

 prophetic vision, he says : 



" It is feared it will be long, perhaps a fuU century, before 

 the results at which we ought to aim aa a nation will be realized 

 by our whole country, to wit, that we should raise an adequate 



