106 NINTH RETORT OF THE 



tops, limbs and dry brush. When a surface fire starts at the railroad track and 

 reaches this mass of tinder a furious conflagration ensues, which can be extin- 

 guished only by the most arduous work and at great expense. It is useless to 

 talk about ploughing along our railroad lines as done in Germany. Any one who 

 has traveled over the line of the Adirondack divisions and noted the topography 

 will readily understand the difficulties of attempting such a method. In place 

 of the level, sandy soil, so often found in European forests, there is a rocky, 

 uneven surface interspersed with stumps, the right-of-way presenting a succession 

 of steep knolls and depressions. Even if the stumps were grubbed out by the roots 

 the broken rock, which crops out everywhere, renders ploughing impracticable. 



Furthermore, it is doubtful whether any law could be passed, even if it were 

 constitutional, that would enable the State to dictate to the lumbermen as to how 

 they should conduct their business on private lands. The lumberman cannot 

 convert his tops and limbs into money, as is the case in Germany; neither do we 

 have the peasantry, who would go into the woods afterwards and clean up every 

 faggot and little twig. The time will undoubtedly come when, with a scarcity 

 of wood and higher prices, our forests will be exploited in as safe and intelligent a 

 manner as abroad. But until then we must recognize existing conditions, and in 

 our forest management modify them as best we can. Any talk about European 

 forestry with reference to our railroad fires is therefore a waste of time, and 

 any indulgence in it betrays an ignorance of the actual situation. 



But all the Adirondack fires did not originate along the railroads; there were 

 other causes at work. At this season of the year there are a large number of 

 fishermen in the woods, many of them belonging to a careless, shiftless class, 

 unworthy the name of sportsmen. They employ no guides, but straggle aimlessly 

 through the forests, camping out wherever night overtakes them. As they move 

 on from place to place they generally leave their camp fires burning; when they 

 make coffee at noon they make little or no effort to extinguish the small fire 

 kindled for that purpose. With the woods as dry as they were last spring, several 

 fires, which started up in remote, unfrequented places, were fairly attributable 

 to fishermen of this class, some of whom were reported as having been seen in 

 these localities. 



Hitherto we have had but little success in prosecuting these offenders, because 

 it was so difficult under the circumstances to secure the positive evidence neces- 

 sary to conviction. The local juries, too often in sympathy with the defendant, 

 refuse to render a verdict for the State on presumptive evidence merely. The 

 only remedy for this evil is the employment of patrols in sufficient numbers so 

 that each fishing party may be followed and closely watched. This plan may 



