448 FIRE-CONSERVANCY. 



patrol along the fire-trace8, particularly the more frequented roads 

 and boundaries marching with populous villages. The number of 

 patrols will of course depend on the extent to which the forest is 

 frequented by squatters, woodmen and wayfarers. It has been 

 found by experience that the minimum length that can be efficiently 

 patrolled by a single man under the most difficult circumstances is 

 about one mile. The maximum may be 10 or more miles distri- 

 buted over several inter-communicating traces. Some lines may 

 have to be patrolled daily once or oftener, others it will suffice to 

 visit only once a week or so. But whatever the disposition of 

 the men and the length of their beats, the distribution of the 

 watch-stations at which they live should be such that each man 

 meets both his right and left hand neighbours at least once in the 

 twenty four hours, and receives from one and passes on to the 

 other the news of the day relating to everything connected with 

 the fire-conservancy of the forest. This news thus reaches the 

 very same day the man in charge of the whole work, and, if neces- 

 sary, also the highest resident supervising officer. Besides details 

 communicated verbally (for it is out of the question to expect 

 patrols to be able to read and write), a ticket may be given by 

 each man impressed with his distinctive number and denoting, by 

 means of a difference of colour, whether all is well in his beat or a 

 fire has occurred. The man in charge of the fire-conservancy 

 will thus receive every day a ticket from every patrol. If so much 

 elaboration is found unnecessary, there need be no distinctive 

 numbers and one and the same ticket may be passed on from the 

 first to the last man to prove that the chain of communication has 

 been kept up. The verbal details communicated will comprise 

 such facts as the following — whether a portion of a trace is to be 

 re-fired on that or the following day and at what time, what por- 

 tions require re-firing, how many men are wanted for the purpose, 

 whether a portion re-fired has been completely cleared or not, and 

 so on. And in the same manner orders can be passed back from 

 the head man in charge. In this way every man will have full 

 intelligence of what is going on in the forest and the distant glare 

 of a burning trace vrill not, as is often the case, be mistaken for a 

 conflagration and uselessly bring out to it troops of men from far 

 and near. 



The watch-stations at which the patrols are located should 

 occupy commanding vantage points and be always built up in the 

 tops of trees, where the men will feel themselves secure against 

 ferocious animals and from whence they will be able to survey the 



