The New York Commercial Bulletin, in presenting its usual monthly record of losses by fire, makes the following pertinent comment: " The fires keep up their ravages in a way that should compel attention of an antagonistic sort. It may be all very well to endure what cannot be cured. But this is not that kind of misery, since its cure is discoverable and applicable. And as long as carelessness almost criminal, and design, which actually is criminal, are allowed their own way in producing this enormous and increasing waste of national wealth, the evil will have to be endured, simply because there is no adequate attempt to cure it. Fires were bad enough throughout 1884, but 1885 is pretty certain to show something worse. April's fire record, as we estimate its results, will add $7,750,000 to the aggregate of the preceding three months, thus making $35,250,000 the amount of destruction by fire in the United States and Canada since January 1, or at the rate of $105,750,000 for the year if it is not checked.

Our own files for April have contained record of 196 fires where the reported loss was from $10,000 upwards".

It is all very well to blame carelessness and design for starting forest fires, but the contributory negligence that permits piles of dead brush to lie around loose waiting for carelessness or design to come along and fire the material, is surely as culpable.

Slowly the public mind is awakening to the fact which we have long endeavored to impress, that the true remedy against forest fires is to proceed against those who leave dead underbrush lying loose around. The American Architect now says:

"Against animated incendiaries a forest patrol might be tolerably effective, but it would be still more useful to provide in some way for the removal of underbrush from woodland. Trees by themselves are not easily kindled, and the mischief is usually done through the ignition of dry leaves, ferns or bushes, which burn long enough to char, and at last to kindle, the branches of the trees above them".

The only attempt to overrule this point that we have seen is in a learned " Forestry essay." The author says " to ask the Legislature to insist that the owner of a ten or twenty thousand acre timber lot clear out all his dead underbrush would be the height of absurdity." Of course it would, but who asks to have this done ? What we would insist on is that the owner of such a tract should be compelled to clear out a quarter of a mile in from the boundary of his neighbor's property. No matter how much might burn, he should be prevented from permitting it to spread to his neighbor.

Protection Against Forest Fires

The Forestry Congress has at length seen the force of the arguments of the Gardeners' Monthly, that those who leave dry brush about to burn are equally culpable with those who' by accident or design start the fire. At the recent convention in New York, Judge Higley and Mr. Eggleston maintained this point. Nothing further than these two opinions were offered in the matter.

Rapidity Of Forest Fires

It has been found by observations on some of the forest fires the past season, that the rate of travel under a fair wind is about twenty-five to thirty miles an hour. It would take smart riding on a fast Indian pony to keep ahead of a blaze like that.