Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1908-10-23
MICHI~AN'S FOREST FIRES,
Million Acre. OF Timber Land Have
Been Burned Over This Year.

Ah4A'LOI az W i4LID'I I+|-ASA AlNN
Been Burned Over This Year.
This year for ST tirrS in Mjrhi@ln
are HN"'..- 10y" m,>j urSlrurlIN" that
hay" ever N.>I,rI the State. Fires III
1881 ~ Ut Il strip Of lur;E miIr~ Wide
and lNW ni,r~ long. extending HrrG>>
tn" central pert OF ilIr State from l.Ah"
Huron to Lake Mir,mLun At .h~ time
more tn III i.UtnNNr.OuU feet OF timber
in board measure WAS destroyed. en-
failing Il iinuucjuI loss Of Slu.mn.UUO
ANA resulting in The deaths of several
hundred PERSONS.
Ten Years later. in ,plrmhrr. ISL.
more than 1.NuO Sluarr miles in various
parts OF Michigan were swept by forest
fires. This resulted in a loss in prop
erty of &3.3ON.uOo. in addition to the
timber destroyed. The number Of lives
lost was estimated ut from 100 to 500,
and moro than 5000 persons were rem
derrN destitute
This YEARS. fires, while not involving
great sacrifice OF fifr. arc wOfully de
strurtivc of timber Prof. Roth. State
forester Of Michigan. who has visited
the burned districts in the northern
parts Of the State, SA VS. that at the low
EST calculation a million acres Of tim
her HAY" been burned over this year.
Including between 1900 and 1000 acres
of the Michigan forest reserve. TO re-
timber tliS land will cost 81 per acre.
and tn" new growth destroyed was
easily worth as much moro. SO that the
-. l,., t., .I.,, ., ;,,,., 100 -iJ1
approximate $lO.OtO.Otn. In addition
there VAS the mrrrtnantuhlc timber. the
farm dwellings, and even villages that
fell prey to the flames. bringing the
total loss up to startling proportions.
Michigan was once the home Of mag
uitirrut forests, but they have been fritz
tor"d away until now only Il reminder
of their former magnitude remains.
Where the timl"r bnr0uS have not
stripped til" land of its wealth forest
fires have br"n permitted to rage at
will, aside from the efforts put forth by
settlers III checking their progress, and
millions Of dollars that might have
been saved by the exercise of proper
caution have gone up in smoke.
'I'Nl mes tll'I SIfHlIN, buI Ill any
event the results are the samoa
blackcncd waste that will for a genera
tion or more be practically worthless
even for agricultural purposes. The
rich mold covering the ground. and
which may have been accumulating for
ages. is burned over, the nitrogen eX-
tracted and the soil rendered useless
for years to come.
There is no more magnificent Xhibi-
ton of unrpstrained force than that
furnished by Il forest fire. The spec
taclo is n to be forgotten, and
well worth witnessing. provided you
are ut Il safe distance and have no
financial interests in the district devas-
tated. Onward the flames sweep, form
ing a wall of fire as high as the trees
dcvOurcd. The roar is as of a thou
sand trains, and the cracking Of the
flames rs they leap grccdily from tree
T." tree, licking up everything intlam-
nlablo, reaching out for fresh prey. is
easily distinguishable above all other
sounds.
Nothing is spared. The higher the
&C Nv iHoIN Sittty lie lOHSucS VI
flame that dart forth to envclop it.
Filling the air for miles around is q
dense loud of pungent smoke that
chOkes the lungs and makes breathing
difficult. The country is hidden from
view. and it is often difficult to See
more than Il few feet away. And
through it all "a be distinguished at
the sun high overhead like a
great ruby ball. strangely elnblematic
OF the often futile struggle for life
being wnged in the plaguc-stricken dis