Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1914-12-12
DAILY KENNEBEc JOURNAL. SATURDAY DECEMBER H. 1914

lions Of the Academy, especially sucf
as will advise all who desireinforma.
ton of our organization. our officers
executive council, sections and theil
| organizations, all committees, and al
1 different classes of members together
| with the particular branch of science
| in which is most interest We trust
| that, as in other states, we may have
the financial assistance of the State
| of Maine in the publication of such
serials, reports and memoirs as are
considered necessary from time to
! time.
Without the least doubt our organ
| ization Is a timely one. l am sanguine
| that important demands will be made
upon us, that many and varied oppor
| tunities will arise for contributing
helpful and useful assistance, and
ardently exhort all members to be
| ever alert to improve and progress in
resource and willingness towards the
exact fulfillment of all our highest and
most perfect ideals and purposes OF
| work.
The first speaker at the afternoon
| session was Prof Manton Copeland,
!, professor of biology at Bowdoin Col
| lege, the subject of his paper being
THE Effect of Color in the Environ
ment on the Color Changes of the
| Florida Chameleon. Anolis carolinen-
| sis" Professor Copeland gave in his
paper the result of number of very
interesting tests of placing chame-
| leon in colored boxes and watching
| the chameleon change color. And he
| showed that some colors were more
effective in producing the change than
] others.
Hon. Blaine S. viles. State land
agent and forest commissioner and
/ member of the Board of Commission
ers of Inland Fisheries and Game, was
| the next speaker and took for his SUD
| ject, The Forests of Maine He spoke
| in part as follows:
Forest Com. Blaine S. Viles
The first and most important step
toward conservation is the protection
of what we already have. and as far
as the forests of Maine and all their
dependent interests are concerned.
this is protection from fire. You can
not expect all cumberland owners ~
practice conservation cutting, and the
State is in no position to force these
owners to such practice, or you can
not expect people to invest money in
the planting of forest trees with an
idea of future profit, unless there is
a reasonable assurance that these
holdings will not be destroyed by
fire.
The wild land section of our for
ests, or that embraced in the Maine
Forestry District, of about nine ana
one half million acres, is under the
direct supervision of the forest com i
missioner, as far as protection from
fire is concerned.
The area is divided into districts,
each under the Immediate supervis-
ion of a chief forest fire warden, ami
this officer has charge of all work "a
his particular territory. The noun
tain lookout watchmen. patrolmen and
deputy wardens are his subordinates.
The backbone of this protective sys-
TEN is the chain of mountain lookout
stations. These now number 55. Tween
ty-eight were added during the past
two years and the material is on the
ground and ready for the erection of
]
up early next spring chr. Viles exhlb-
! tied a model of steel tower such as
/ the State is erecting for lookout pnr-
/ poses. This type of tower was design
| ed here in Maine and is considered the
most approved in use by any state.
On the top of the tower is a house for
the projections of the watchman and
this is equipped with maps, glasses,
etc. fer determining the location OF
fires). The first station was built ON
Sduaw mountain in the Moosehead
lake country before the State took
over the work and as far as 1 am able
to learn. this was the first station
constructed in the United States The
system has since not only spread over
our State. but it has been adopted by
nra ctically all states having forest
protective systems.
Outside the wild land area the hand
ling of forest fires is now in the hands
of tho selectmen, and l regret to say
that this is not satisfactory, and nope
that the next Legislature will enact
some needed legislation along this line.
The State should appropriate $2o,ooo
for State wide aid, and the same sys-
tenn extended to the towns now In
force in the wild land section. me
towns need lookout stations and they
need equipment for fighting FOREST
fires, and the suppression OF forest
fires is so important to all the people
of the State that the State snail as
sist the towns in this matter. Regular
wardens should be employed during
the dry seasons who should have no
other business.
At the present time the seiectmen
are charged with the very important
duty of preventing and extinguishlng
forest fires, yet they are supported py
nc fund for equipment, warden ser
vice, etc.
During the past season the towns
and territories outside the wild iaho
section, with a forested area less than
one-half that of the former, SUFFERED
loss fully as great.
The last speaker at the AFTERNOON
| session was N. B. Tracey OF AUBURN,
who spoke briefly upon "The Maine
Academy of Science as Higner
school of Scientific Research ana Ed
ucation." Mr.. Tracey outlined the az
vantages of being a member OF sucn