St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1894-09-22
THE PREVENTION OF FIRES.
Promoting the Growth Of
Pine Forests--Building
Reservoirs. ~.
TO CROP THE BURNED LAND.
y
Relief Work for the Fire Suf-
fererS Goes on Without a.
Stint. 81

Invitations were sent out. by the
Commercial club yesterday morning to
Gov. Nelson, the chamber Of commerce,
the Commercial club and board of trade.
of Minneapolis, and the commercial
clubs of West Superior and Duluth TO
attend conference upon very impcr-
tant matter. The date Is set at the st.
Paul Commercial club rooms on Oct. 3.
l he object of the conference is to dis
cuss preventative means against the
recurrence of forest fires, which have
scattered trail Of ruin over portions Of
Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan.
This conference will be thoroughly
practical, and brief speeches will be a
feature. Most of these it is. proposed
to limit TO five minutes each, al-
though twelve minutes will be allowed
to the opening address and ten to the
second. On Monday, Secretary McGin-
mis-. of the Commercial club, and Gen.
Andrews and Z. j. H odgs0n will ar
range programme for the event.
A number Of practical ideas in the
way Of suggestions to those residing III
the burned districts are contained in a
letter received by 5 .cretary Mcilunis
from Duluth. The writer-E. L. jacob,
the Duluth and Grand Forks banker
has experienced similar fires i'll Canada.
He writes as follows:
LAS passed through the burned dis
trict near Hincklry L noticed the clean
sweep the fire had made, and having
lived in pine country during its early
settlement i'll my younger dayS,ir struck
HE that the settlers might turn this dire
disaster into advantage to themselves.
Ii the country | speak OF the settlers
would, after one OF the fierce bush fires
had burned over Il portion OF The stony
soil, go 10 work with yoke of oxen )r
Il stout horse and haul together what
partially burned logs there were lying
around, and then SOW fall rye
on the rough ground, and harrow
il in with a V-shaped harrow
made of the crotch Of tree, and con-
tanning about eleven teeth made of
inclI-square iron. Generally ii little
white clover and a few pounds of tim
Othy seed were SOwu mixed with the
rye, to secure a crop OF grass ami keep
down the weeds the next year. This
rye can be SOWn as late as there Is
chance to scratch the soil on account of
frost, but l often saw it, where the soil
was very stony and it was SOwn late,
never come up until the spring, after
the snow had left. We used to get a
fine crop of rye OF twenty-five Or thirty
bushels per acre from such rude cult
walton. or course it was cut with a
cradle and raked and bound by hand.
but was of fine quality. Amy ground
that was too rough on account OF rocks
and heavy logs, to clean up so that a
team could get through, we used to
plant with yellow flint corn. A man
with all old ak IN one hand and couple
of quarts of seed i'll his left pockets
would walk along and strike the AK
into the ground aud drop three or i've
kernels of corn in the hole and put the
heel of his left foot on 1t to close up the
crevice and make good stride 10 measure
the place for the next hill, the rows be-
ing about three or four feet apart. This
was all the cultivation it would get, and
raise fine crop i'll spite of the rude
way of farming. The corn ought to be
planted not earlier than May 20 and not
later than June ), TO secure good results
and be secure from frost. There are
thousands of acres near HiDckley
which, if planted with rye this fall and
SOwn to corn as above next spring,
would pay big for the trouble. Potatoes
can be planted also, but require to be
hilled. l saw places almost burned
clean, where two men and horse could
clean up four or five acres per day.
nearly, to sow rye, and any OF the land
will raise corn right among the logs and
LoulderS. l write you this because do
not know where to place this informa.
ton so that it will do the most good.
There need be no fear of the soil being
burned too much, for saw soil burnt
red and still WELD a crOp,"