Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1913-11-14

for variable distances are cleared, but in the
ordinary ground fire such work is usually too
slow and unnecessary.
The best tools used by a fre-fghting crew in
the mountains are axes, shovels and mattocks or
grub hoes, the hoes being usually in greatest
proportion and most effective. Often one or two
crosscut saws are useful, particularly where the
fire is travelling through a lot of down timber.
The axmen generally go first, clearing out and
cutting away the heavy stuff along the line; then
follow the grub hoe or mattock men, breaking
through the heavy sod and cots; and last the
shovel men, who clean out the trail, or, as might
be stated, put the finishing touches on the work
of the others. The amount of work a gang of
men can do depends upon various circumstances,
such as the nature Of the country, tools avail
able, etc, but roughly 1t might be said that a
gang OF twenty men can build a mile OF line 4
day.
Aside from a few general principles there are
no set rules for fighting forest fres-in fact, 1t
is far from a black-and-whtte proposition. Rath-
er, 1t calls into play initiative and headwork,
and the result attained bears mute evidence of
the success or failure Of the supervising officer,
although always 1t must be that
that uncertain and uncomfortable factor, the
wind, can snatch victory from the hands of man
SO quickly and easily as to make it seem some
times a veritable mockery of his efforts. And,
too, the unbelievable action Of fire, even when
apparently under control, makes it absolutely
necessary that 1t be watched closely and con-
tinuously until there is not a single remaining
vestige of its existence.
Among the principal causes Of forest fires are
locomotive sparks, lightning, camp fires left IN
extinguished. burning Of slash in clearing land.
logging operattons-prtncipally from fire in the
resultant slash accumulated by the average log
ger in cutting over an area. There are minor
other ways, such as tncendiar1sm, ashes from a
pipe, a lighted cigar or cigarette stub or lighted
match cast thoughtlessly aside. The first three
mentioned, however, are the most general.
When a fire has once assumed the proportions
of a large top fire, It is generally inadvisable to
attempt to check It; rather, 1t is good Judgment
to consider the safety Of the fire fighters them
selves, SO that they may be in readiness to
attack the fire when it again leaves the tops Of
the trees and assumes its slower progress along
the ground.
1t might be mentioned right here that forest
fires, with particular reference to ground fires.
do not always destroy standing timber, but often
only the very small trees, brush and surface
cover or humus. Potential timber, of course, has
a distinct value, and the destruction Of a good
soil cover is a decided detriment to the forest,
but many trees, such as Douglas fir, tamarack
and yellow pine, have a thick, heavy bark which
forms a good resistance to fire and will often
withstand periodic ground fires for years. Other
trees with thin bark, of course, succumb quite
readily.
In the report Of the secretary Of agriculture,
embodied in the Yearbook OF the department of
agriculture for 1911, he states that the fires of
the calendar year 1910 covered more than 3,OO0,-