The season was much drier in the Adirondacks than in the Catskills, and the fires in the latter form only 10 per cent. of the total number and cover only 8 per cent. of the total area burned. The month of April was the most productive of fires in the Catskills, while May and August saw the greatest number in the Adirondacks. The total number reported was 688. This is 83 fires more than were reported in 1908 under similar drought conditions. In 1908, however, no fires which burned over less than an acre were reported. On that basis, the comparison was 528 in 1913 as against 605 in 1908. The acccompanying table gives complete statistics as to the number of fires, acreage burned, resulting damage and expense to extinguish. These statistics are classified both by counties in which the fires occurred and by causes. Reference has already been made and statistics given, comparing the result of the past year with that of 1908. When the conditions of drought are taken into account, the extent of those fires and the consequent damage indicate great improvement in forest fire protection and marked efficiency of the force charged with this duty. The success of the system is fully demonstrated and the only weakness developed is that more mountain stations should be established. During the year only seven-tenths of 1 per cent of the area under protection was burned, although the average area guarded by each ranger was over 100,000 acres. The entire cost of protection, including the expense of extinguish

ing fires, was less than fourteen mills per acre, which is on the average, approximately two mills per dollar of valuation.

During the latter part of August fires were occurring in all parts of the forest territory. They were being detected constantly by the observers, and it became a question of how many fires the rangers could handle with the limited amount of help available in the localities. A large number of the rangers were working night and day, securing assistance, going to fires, getting them under control, appointing competent foremen, and then communicating with their headquarters, and, in most instances, immediately starting for some other fire. At this time, the commission authorized the district rangers to employ rangers temporarily in localities which they considered dangerous and, in this way, the difficulty was, to a large extent, surmounted.