FOREs., FISH AND GAME COMMISSIONER. 115 



season. They are connected by telephone to the nearest firewarden and are equipped 

 with a range finder, compass, strong field glasses, and a plan of the surrounding coun- 

 try, drawn to a careful scale. With these instruments our wardens have located fires 

 accurately 30 miles distant, notified the wardens and had them extinguished before 

 making any great headway. The cost of installing these stations of course depends 

 upon the length of telephone line, but we have estimated that the stations in this State 

 cost from $400 to $800. As the cost of construction has been borne by the landowners, 

 the State paying the wages of the men in charge of the stations, we have no absolutely 

 correct figures as to the cost of these stations, but, as stated above, it depends wholly 

 upon the length of the telephone line and equipment purchased. 



In your Adirondack region it would seem to me they would be very successful, 

 as there are a number of high points in that territory, as I understand it, where they 

 could be located. 



In my opinion one man located at a station will do more effectual work in discov- 

 ering and locating fires than a hundred would patrolling. Of course patrols are needed 

 to follow up camping parties, and with a good system of lookout stations and patrols 

 you have got a system for fire protection which is pretty near the thing. 



Very truly yours, 



E. E. RING. 



In order to determine the remedies to be adopted, a study of the causes 

 of forest fires is necessary. It is also interesting to note these causes for a 

 period of several years and study them, carefully. It has been found that 

 cinders and sparks from railroad locomotives, fires for clearing land, hunters 

 and fishermen are the most prolific source of fires, and so these four causes 

 have been used in preparing the accompanying diagram. 



In this table the four principal causes of forest fires have been plotted 

 to indicate graphically the number for which each one of them is responsible. 

 This table was compiled from reports in this office extending over a period 

 of eighteen years. Each cause is represented by distinct lines. It will be 

 noticed that while the number of fires varies from year to year, on the whole 

 the number is increasing each year, although 1906 compares favorably with 

 1 89 1. When fires do occur, as is the case in dry times, each cause helps to 

 increase the total number. It is interesting to note here the relation 

 between causes and conditions; e. g., hunters' fires were of great number in 

 1899* and 1908 because the fire season and the hunting season occurred at 



* The open season for deer hunting in 1899 began August 15th, and the fires occurred in the 

 latter part of August. 



