The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1911-08-26
6, 1911 TERMS: $L5o PER YEAR IN ADVANCE

tract Of timber and has for many years
paid the taxes on it. Would anyone not
criminally inclined be guilty of Destroy
ing this property any more than he
would Of burning the mans house over
his head, and in both cases probably
embarrassing him financially besides
causing untold anxiety?
The effect upon the owner of cut
over land suitable for agricultural pur-
poses is practically the same. You
question this statement because the
land must be cleared before farm can
be started. My contention is that when
farmer clears his land he piles the
brush and so very little of the mineral
substance of the soil or the mulch,
which creates the mineral substance, is
burned; whereas, fire sweeping
through with wind to fan it will burn
absolutely everything in its path and
make rich top soil practically worth
less. Hence there is very heavy de-
terioration in the value.
This brings us to the effect of fire
upon the people as whole. Let us
take for example any tract of timber
land assessed upon the tax roll at $10,-
10000. This is burned over in few
days or perhaps hours. The owner will
not be the only loser. The community
at large is affected by it, since the
property can never again. in this gen.
GRAFTON, be assessed at its former valu-
alton. Since expenditures have tend
ency to increase instead of decrease,
the remaining property must stand the
added valuation, which naturally calls
for higher tax per capita. Thereby
the community loses in two ways
first, by direct loss of the $40, 900 as
sessed valuation; second, by having to
make up the deficiency.
BY others than sportsmen the effect
upon game can hardly be realized. Even
the fish in the streams and small lakes
suffer from the fires. During the
breeding season fires will kill innumer-
able young, especially partridge and
deer-o our greatest asset in the game
line. While l cannot say that our fish
have suffered greatly, will cite an in
cident which occurred during the big
fires in the Adirondacks in May and
June of 1908. This report was made
by H. M. Sutter of the United States
Forestry Service and reads: ''The
trout suffered severely. In a number
of towns dead fish were seen floating
down streams. Along the west bank
of the AuSable river several bushels of
fish were found washed up on the shore;
on the Bouquet river two boys waded
the stream and in single day caught
with their hands ninety-two trout that
weighed seventy-four pounds. The fish
seemed unable to move. In shallow
streams the heat alone was sufficient to
kill them, while in deeper streams it
seems more than likely that lye leached
from wood ashes or finely powdered
ashes had poisonous effect"
In conclusion wish to say that we
earnestly solicit the cooperation of ev-
eryone. 1t is an almost impossible task
for US to protect all of your interests
withouta little help and encouragement
from you. In another month we will
probably be in great danger of forest
fires, owing largely to the fact that
our rains have been early and the
steady dry, fall winds dry everything
so completely that, coupled with the
dead leaves and vegetation, which fur
nish food for fires, conditions are most
favorable to the rapid spread and gen.
eral destruction of fires. So again we
again ask your hearty cooperation
which, if we are successful in keeping
the fires down, will reflect great credit
on the people of upper Michigan in the
movement of forest fire prevention.
Always remember our br-word, "No
Forest Fires This Year"