Show fr IN 7 r destroying GOPHERS methods by the department of agriculture GUY ELLIOTT MITCHELL pocket gophers would bo be most formidable animals were they en enlar lareed ced to tho the size ot of the prehistoric dinosaur their kleir teeth aro are hugo huge in proportion to their lie bonds ids and their bifurcated front are strong sharp as aa eagle talons arrid extraordinarily long the gopher however Is a little animal yet because vt ft his abundance and exceeding in liu buttry stry he becomes more than a nuisance a menace in tact fact to many famine communities pocket gophers infest all tho the states ud lud territories west of the mississippi tad parts of illinois wisconsin florida georgia and the grei greater iter part of galco all the species live under ground tn in ramifying tunnels and all rang bring to the surface quantities of earth which Is 3 heaped up in the shape ot of BK Hinds the habits ot of these animals lire every everywhere touch much tho the same throughout their range pocket coph lire aw are very destructive to crops much snore so BO than moles they cat the roots ot of fruit trees and in this way sometimes ruin whole orchards they cat both root and tops of clover alfalfa nl falfa brasses grains and vegetables and aro are especially harmful to potatoes and aher tuberous crops in addition to all this they throw up innumerable bounds of earth in meadows pastures bad and grain fields which cover and do btroy far more of the crop than Is cither edther eaten by the animals or killed sam ka 4 THE POCKET GOPHER py amunds civi having nj tha roots root cut olf off these them also prevent urs B bit much of 0 the ha bay ny crop la Is lost while the pebbles they co cr ioAla often fireck or injure farni farm machinery the topa iwa due to gopher mounds in the tha clover and alfalfa fields in somo some of the west rn states elates hoa has been conservatively catl batt mated rit at one tenth of the entire crop in many of the fertile valleys where abound they are by far the most formidable of the farmers animal al 1 enemies pocket gophers may bo be destroyed by poison by trap and by the use of carbon Polson lre g pocket locket gophers ning with strychnine la is the most effective means known tor for killing these little animals and as it involves the least expenditure of money and labor the biological survey recommends it tor for general us asb pe asa As a rodent poison to be used by farmers strychnine has several advantages its action is sure its deadly character la Is known to most persons and its bitter taste Is an additional safeguard against val mistaking staking it tor for a harmless drug sulphate Bul phate is the most convenient form of the poison since it is freely soluble la in hot water and in the natural juice of vegetables used as bait to cro disguise its bitterness so that rodents may not be deterred from eating the baits sugar la Is often employed or the strychnine may be mixed with its ita own bulk of commercial saccharine A sugar syrup poisoned with ninn may be used with excellent results it Is prepared as follows dissolve an ounce of stry chala sulphate in a pint of boiling water add a pint of thick sugar syrup and stir thoroughly the syrup aarup la Is usually scented canted by adding a few drops of oil of anise but this Is not essential if preserved in a closed vessel the syrup will keep indefinitely the above quantity Is to polson poison a half bushel of shelled corn or other grain corn coin recommended the cereal being steeped in lot liot water and allowed to soak over night it Is then drained and soaked for several hours in the poisoned syrup before using corn meal may be added to take up the excess erces 9 of moisture dry crystals of strychnine also may be used they are introduced by means of a knife into small email pieces of potato carrot or sweet potato or into entire raisins or dried prunes A single large crystal or several small ones la Is enough for each bait hai raisins sins are especially recommended because they are easily handled bandied and fontain enough sugar to disguise the bitterness of the poison the prepared balts baits are placed in the underground runways of iho gop gopher heri and are conveniently handled with a spoon A stout dibble la is used to make holes into the runways having located the runways by use of 0 the dibble it Is moved from side to side to make the soli soil firm about the hole and then withdrawn A piece of 0 the pol poisoned po leoned potato or raisin or a tea teaspoons teaspoonful teaspoon tul ul of the poisoned corn to Is dropped into the hole which la Is left open some farmers prefer to cover the holes but the experience of the agriculture department la is against euch pr practice aUlce dy by this method little labor is necessary and the operator soon acquires edill in finding the runways the bait should be placed inthe runways and not in the short literals laterals late rals near the mounds if placed in the laterals literals late rals the animals are likely all ely to cover it with soll eoll cr ar throw it out without finding tt it A operator can go over 20 1 40 acres of baal infested land in N ay and it if tho the work is carefully Q time e bhea the pocket gophers II 11 aro are active all the animals should be destroyed by the first application of the poison trapping pocket gophers tapping Trapp lne la is a successful method when followed intelligently and persistently it la Is especially adapted to small fields orchards and gardens where only a few of tho the animals are present but in the case of largo large areas that tha t are badly infested tho the method involves too much labor for trapping an ordinary no 0 steel trap may be employed but there are a number of at special gopher traps on the market that aro are better adapted for general use in using the ordinary steel trap tho the first step Is to make an opening into tho the main tunnel the trap should then bo be sunken so BO that tho the jaws aro are level with the bottom of tho the runway and lightly covered with green clover or alfalfa or grass or even loose booso soil caro care being taken that these do not clog under the pan or trigger no bait Is required tho the holes should be just large enough to receive tho the tripp and should bo covered so eo as almost to exclude clude the light carbon carbon has haa been employed for killing pocket gophers and under favorable conditions its uso to Is recommended it if tho the burrows aro are extensive 1 0 or arthe the soil dry tho the gases are arc dissipated so BO rapidly that a largo quantity of the liquid la Is required to kill the animals and tho the method becomes too expensive if however abe borrowa bur rowa are simple and and the soil eoll moist may be ba used for pocket gophers an ounce of the liquid for or each burrow is sufficient tho the carbon ir 16 poured over a bunch of cotton raps rags or other waste material and this quickly pushed into the burrow which should be closed at once co necessary any farmer may readily rid his promises of gophers by the uso use of poison or traps unless however the entire community unites in active and intelligent operation cooperation co on the destruction of the animals anti nals tho the cleared area will bo be sooner or later invaded from neighboring promises premises and tho the work of destruction must bo be repeated co operation cooperation only will a radical cure whorl when I 1 arz 1 f unsafe A location for farm well 0 lp iv r all f f f A 5 ire V farm well on A high W 4 E ground and RN Y I 1 q j free arom 1 14 7 na P j 1 tion I 1 i q i 11 1 1 71 C operative cooperative co efforts for tile the extermination of gophers over a considerable area aro are attempted careful attention mua zie 50 given to waste lands along alone fences streams Bt reams public highways anti and railroads such places are favorite haunts of the animals because in them are found loose sandy soil eoll moisture and succulent roots for food it Is 3 from such elicit resorts that adjoining farms are often re stocked with pocket gophers |