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Show over this year, some of these Area lasting for several days, despite the well directed efforts of county, state and individual efforts to stamp the blaze out. Many ranchers now have water trucks on their places, equipped with pumps. These trucks can be rushed !5ij to (the fire in a hurry m vi g very effective in putting fires. " 011 I Range cattle and sheep n grain growers are badly j5' cooperation from the airpi cannot give too much ttsSsi-dealing ttsSsi-dealing with the automotive t 3Uj One of the most serious problems t ' ' cattle and sheepmen in this Western country are having to face is fire H-V, hazard. The situation is becoming more alarming each year and, as we improve our highways, our tourist travel increases and the fire hazard continues to become more serious and more difficult to solve-in solve-in j We seem to have pretty well covered cover-ed the fire hazard from the highway, requiring the motorist to have his car equipped with ash receivers and in forest zones, all smoking is prohibited pro-hibited during the dry months. Throughout the range country, there are flaming posters warning of fire danger and all sorts of effective propaganda has been used to awaken the tourist and camper of the danger of fire and this work has had its effect among thoughtful people. Nevertheless, Neverthe-less, we have a large number of flres; apparently caused by those who ride in automobiles but now for the first time we find a new menace in the passenger carrying airplanes. Cigarettes tossed even from high altitudes continue to burn In the air and tests have shown that fire can be started from a cigarette thrown from as high as one thousand feet from above the ground. As many cattlemen see ilt, the bulk of the task of cutting down losses from fires must be done by the ranchers themselves. In many of the grass pasture sections, ranchers have found that firebreaks around and across the pastures help cut down the extent of fire losses. It is expensive to plow the land for these firebreaks, yet there seems to be no more effective effec-tive barrier against fire. Many grain farmers make a practice of plowing wide firebreaks around their fields, particularly on fields adjacent to highways. Other practice the making of back fires; before a big fire starts. This means the loss of some pasture land, but seems to be one of the most effective effec-tive means of preventing fire from spreading. In California, the state highway commission has done some good work in burning weeds and grass along the highway, thus preventing many fires which ordinarily start from burning cigars or cigarettes thrown from automobiles. i After a fire has gotten a goo'd start, it is a mighty difficult job to stop, particularly if there is a high wind. Thousands and thousands of acres of grain and pasture land, as well as forest reserves, have been burned |