FOREST, FISH AXD GAME COMMISSIONER. 39 



a mile. But on each of the two occasions mentioned, rain came the day 

 after the establishment of the patrol, and the men were called off. 



The railroad superintendents evinced an earnest desire to co-operate 

 with the Commission in its efforts to protect the forests along their respective 

 lines, and one of them sent out a circular which was placed in the hands of 

 each engineer and fireman, notifying these employees that they would be 

 held responsible for the safe condition of the screen and ashpan on their 

 locomotive. A railroad which runs through some of the forest towns in the 

 Catskills was equipped with water barrels at intervals of forty rods, wherever 

 any woods adjoined the right of way, to facilitate the efforts of the section 

 men in extinguishing the flames that start up behind passing trains. 



Nevertheless, in times of prolonged drought, even with a well- organized 

 force of patrols on duty, the forests will be in danger, and until some safe 

 motive power is adopted fires from this force may be expected. The recent 

 successful experiment on the Xew York Central Raiiroad, in which an 

 electric engine hauled a heavy train at a high rate of speed, leads to the 

 hope that the railroad companies with lines running through the forest 

 districts may be induced to use electric motors and thus eliminate com- 

 pletely this most prolific source of destruction to woodlands. 



Reforesting: 



But little work was done this year in reforesting, as the appropriation 

 for 1904 did not become available until too late for the spring planting. 

 Still, one of the tracts in the St. Lawrence Reservation, at Cance Point, on 

 the lower end of Grindstone Island, was planted this fall with seedlings of 

 broad leaved species. This tract, which contains 70 acres of cleared land, 

 was set out with plants taken from the State nursery at Brown's Station, 

 in the Catskills. The number of seedlings of each species planted at Canoe 

 Point was as follows: 



Red Oak 23,620 



Pin Oak 22,300 



Chestnut 7 , 000 



Black Locust 3 , 000 



Black Walnut 2 »°35 



