The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1895-08-10
FOREST FIRE PREVENTION.
The Prussian System Which Protects
6.OOO.O 600 Acres of Trees.


100000 Acres of Trees.
Since the Prussian government for
ests comprise 5000, 900 acres, what is
characterized as a large number of
forest fires, some of them extensive"
means a little over one-hundredth of l
per cent. of the forest area; and we
must not overlook the fact hal more
than half of this forest is c~oniferous
growth, mostly pine, and therefore
especially liable to fire. The cause in
most cases is noted as neglect. Loco
motives are not mentioned, showing
that ~railroading may be carried on
without the necessity of extra risks.
During the ten years. 1sS2-1s91, there
had occurred in these forests I56 larger
confagrations-96 from negligence, 50
from il-will, 5 from lightning and only
4 from locomotives. Seven years out
of ten are without any record of fire
due to this last cause.
This record, which to us at least
would appear like perfection. is due.
of course, in the first place to the fact
that these forests are under a well-or-
ganized management. which insures
the constant patrolling of the same by
officers in pursuit of their business.
Regulations as to the treatment of
fires are, therefore, readily enforced,
and any incipient fire is soon discov-
cred and put out. Besides this, the
method of dividing the forest into
blocks or compartments by intersect-
ing avenues, rectangular or otherwise,
at regular distances, permits a small
force to readily prevent the progress
of fires and confine them within the
block.
Where railroads run through forest
lands, especially in the extensive
pineries of the Baltic plain, additional
precautions are practiced. OF course,
spark arresters are in common use,
but the main reliance is laid on a
safety strip" running along the rail-
road, and more or less elaborate.
Often this is only Il clearing, frequent
" cultivated by the guards as a potato
patch or for a field crop. The ideal
and most effective treatment is a rail-
road embankment, which is, of course,
kept clean of inf1ammable matter by
timely burning; then a cleared space
about : yards in width; next a strip of
forest Is to is yards wide. in which
the ground is kept as clean as practi-
cable and free from dry wood, and
which acts as a screen for flying Gin
ders; beyond this is a ditch 10 to y
inches deep and ) to 6 feet wide, the
dirt Of which is thrown to one side,
R,nl-,,r q Ill, ,-Ls,I 1900 l. I--4-l
with broad-leaved trees. About every
90 rods a cross ditch is made, so that
the whole combination safety strip,
which is about 30 yards wide, is di-
vided into smaller fields. within which
it is easy for one man to confine an in
cipient fire.
In this country we would hardly
need to go to so much expense, but we
might considerably reduce with small
tive fires. The Pennsylvania railroad
company in New Jersey, from Camden
to Cape May, in preference to paying
damages to the forest owner, has
plowed or scarified on either side of
its road n strip about a rod wide, and
this is tolerably effective. A ditch
within 80 yards from the right of way
in the woods, and a timely burning
over in spring of this space, would be
more effective, and l think any adjoin-
ing forest owner would gladly permit
such protective measure to be taken by
the railroad company on his land, and,
indeed, could afford to contribute to
the expense.
This cause of our forest fires, then,
is largely avOidable; and so would be
the fires due to other carelesSness, if
we should once set out in earnest to
punish the offender. The trouble with
our laws, Eel when they are backed
by public sentiment, is mainly that the
machinery to execute them is ABB
sent or too weak. Minnesota, fright
ened into action by the sad experiences
of last year, this winter enacted a fire
law. with q commissioner to execute it.
Wisconsin, which has suffered almost
as badly as her neighbor, has also en-
acted a law. approved on April Il, in
which the chief clerk of the state land
office is made the forest warden, with
the assistant chief clerk as his deputy.
In both cases an organization OF exist
ing town officers as fire wardens is at
tempted, but whether these officers
be able to do their various duties
without neglecting the last one i'm
posed remains to be seen, especially as
the provisions for expenses are ex-
tremely scanty. These laws, as well
as the one so satisfactorily inaugurated
Maine, are remodeIed more or less
after the forest fire law of New
York.
Not all of the forest fires are avoid.
able, but most of them can be prevent.
at least, they need not be allowed
to spread beyond control, provided the
will it.-Garden and Forest.
Goldsmith Was Full of Chiyalry.
Poor s'GOldv aS,he WAS fOndlv uipk.