The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1917-07-30

other hrs fighting organizations. The
farmer, therefore, il necessarily tArown
upon his swn resources for the means
Of preservation, and upon him rests tbs
double responsibility Of hrst slimiAat-
ing all possible fire hazards and also of
having IRE extinguishing apparatus
ready for immediate use should = hrs
occur.
Precautions Against Fire.
Dry grass along the roadsides and
in the pasture fields is a serious menace
to a ripe crop Of grain. A spark from
a match or passing train or emitted
from the exhaust Of an automobile en-
CINE, or a lighted cigarette or cigar
stub thrown carelessly aside, can easily
start a FIRE which, with surroundings
favoring its spreading, will result in
incalculable loss and destroy a guam
tity of grain sufficient to furnish an
entire community with food. Where
conditions permit, burrows should be
plowed between the grass and tho grain.
If this is not possible, the grass should
be moved close enough to afford =
check to the spreading of fire.
A New Hazard.
A comparatively new danger to grain
fields is white-hot carbon discharged
from the exhausts of tractors when
pulling uphill or through \ heavy part
Of the crop. Every exhaust should be
protected by a fine wire screen, which
should be renewed at least once a
month, a. the heat becomes SO intense
A. to quickly destroy it's effectiveness.
When the grain has been threshed
and piled in the field, it should be pro-
tected by a sufficient number of fur
rows to prevent its destruction from the
burning of stubble.
Danger From Threshers.
The time of one of the great dangers
to grain and grain fields in the North
west is during the threshing season
and is caused by. careless methods in
threshing and piling the threshed grain
too near to the straw stacks. Every
threshing machine by the very reason
of its operations collects a certain
amount of smut OF dust, which is high
ly inflammable and subject to explo-
sion, and the farmer should insist that
before a threshing machine commences
operations on his setting, the machine
thoroughly cleaned out, flues exam
and water tanks kept full. II
possible, the straw stacks should be re-
every night, but where this is
should the threshed grain be
so close to the tbresher or the
straw stacks that the burning of either
would endanger the grain. Every
threshing machine owner or operator
be required to nave a good sized
chemical tank with its equipment to
Immediately extinguish small fires.
If not sufficiently cured, and whether
baled or loose, hay will generate gases
are susceptible of spontaneous
unless the barn is sufi-
ventilated to carry of these
gases. Every particule of dry grass
md all litter and rubbish should he
removed from barnyards and from all
buildings on the farm. Under no cir
nmstanees should smoking or the use
# matches be permitted around barn
buildings, while candles or any other
,pen flame should be strictly prohib
ted and only closed lanterns or cleo
ric pocket flashlights allowed in OF
barns carrying any quantity OF
lay.
Fighting Fires.
mhe great difference between the
fire department and the volun-
eer organization is the fact that an
experienced fireman knows exactly (
What to do in answering an alarm OF I
re and has his apparatus and equip t
aent in such condition as to give the /,
test service in the shortest possible
Even a volunteer organization,
owever, is better than none at all, and t
farmers in every community should .
organize and secure fire r
Citing apparatus for the purpose Of
re protection and to ~eItinguish any /.
re that may happen in their section.
very such community should select
be necessary number Of men to act as
hiefs and to take charge of the forces
Citing a fire. These chiefs could ar {
for certain signals and alarms to ]
e given to denote hre in any locality,
nd alss where ~shovels, wet sacks, chem {
al extinguishers and other apparatus :
nd utensils are to be obtained ut the =,
notice.
Water in many cases is not available,
ut a chemical FIRE extinguisher, with +
hich zach farmer should be provided, =
i'll accomplish moro in putting out a !,
70 which has not assumed largo pro- .
than any other means. y
Where the district will permit, m Il
or motor truck CAN be b
with chemical tanks, and these
i'll prove more effective than river
improperly OF unskillfully ap- :
led. In several sections Of the State =
is has already been done, and these
so equipped, have demon
great efficiency.
The Vital Hour.
This 10 the hour of patriotism, in
hich the entire strength of the Ma