MICHIGAN EXPERIMENT STATION 37 



of the center, clear of all combustible material, between the fifteenth day 

 of April and the first day of December. Deposits of fire, live coals or hot 

 ashes are forbidden in the immediate vicinity of woodlands, and train- 

 men are required to report fires discovered along the line at the next tele- 

 graph station they may pass. The railroad companies are required to 

 instruct their employees in the means for preventing and extinguishing 

 fires and to post the warning placards furnished by the forest commis- 

 sioner in their stations in the vicinity of forest and prairie grass lands. 

 "Where a fire occurs along the line of their road they shall concentrate 

 such help and adopt such measures as shall be available to effectively ex- 

 tinguish it." 



The railroad company violating the requirements of the act is punished 

 by a fine not exceeding a hundred dollars for each offense, the railroad 

 employee violating the law is deemed guilty of a misdemeanor and is 

 punished by a fine of not less than five dollars nor more than fifty. 



It is made the duty of every owner of a threshing or portable steam 

 engine to use efficient spark arresters and to put out or cover with three 

 inches of earth any live coals or ashes which they shall deposit in any 

 place from the engine. 



The Forest Commissioner is required to make a written report to the 

 Governor of his proceedings under this act annually, which report shall 

 include such statistics and facts as he has obtained from the chief fire 

 warden and other sources, with suggestions for the preservation of forests 

 and the prevention and extinguishment of forest and prairie fires. 



In: the legislative session of 1897, in Minnesota, an important bill was 

 introduced, passing the house but failing in the senate. Its purpose was 

 to encourage the growing and preservation of forests and forest reserve 

 areas. Among the novel features of the bill was a section providing that 

 any person or corporation being the owner of any tract of land partly cut 

 over or entirely so, which, however, would not probably be utilized for 

 agricultural purposes for many years, might deed the same to the State 

 of Minnesota, if in the judgment of the State Forestry Board the land 

 should be received for forestry purposes. Lands deemed necessary for 

 the preservation of water courses are specially mentioned in the act as 

 tracts to be thus accepted. Provision was made for the distribution of 

 the revenues accruing from such land, two-thirds to be paid to such pub- 

 lic educational institution as the grantor in the deed might designate. 



The Wisconsin law is similar in general character to the Min- 

 nesota law, except that the chief clerk of the State Land Office and his 

 deputy are made State Forest Warden and Deputy Forest Warden, re- 

 spectively, without additional salary. 



The Maine laws make the State Land Agent the Forest Commissioner. 

 The selectmen of towns are made fire wardens. Anyone who neglects to 

 extinguish a camp fire is liable to a fine not exceeding $100, or imprison- 

 ment in the county jail one month, or both. Railroad companies are re- 

 quired to bum or cut and remove all grass and debris from the right of 

 way once a year, to use spark arresters on their locomotives, to refrain 

 from depositing live coals, fire or ashes on their track, and to report fires 

 along the right of way at their next telegraph station. 



The Forest Commissioner encourages interest In forestry in the public 

 schools and publishes circulars of information as to the care of wood- 

 lands. 



