Show Life and Habits of Pocket Gopher The Growing of Leguminous Crops Make Life Easy for Little Rodent 1 rr Prepared ared by the United States StAtu Department or Apiculture Service Habits and Economic Status of ot the Pocket Gophers Is Js the title of it a new technical bulletin Just Issued by the United States Department of ot ture The he author Theo Thea H H. Scheffer Is an associate biologist of ot the bureau of ot biological survey stationed at nt Puyallup Pual lup Wash and has bad had many years' years experience making scientific observations observations bons of pocket gophers and other rodents rodents rodents ro ro- ro- ro dents especially In their relation to agriculture Rodents Widely Distributed The extent to which pocket gophers ers affect the interests of agriculture Is becoming more apparent each year says the new bulletin Scarcely any group of native e rodents Is more widely distributed in the United States and certainly none has shown more moree more readi readiness readiness readi- readi ness to adapt Itself to the changed conditions Introduced In Its habitat by bythe bythe bythe the farmer The growing of ot such crops as alfalfa and clover has made life easy for the pocket gopher since these plants furnish an abundant food supply In their roots and are arc usually maintained on the same ground for a 1 period of years Reclamation of desert desert desert des des- ert lands also has hns furnished tarnished new food supplies and harbor for these rodents and anti has assisted their local wander- wander Ings Such changes have favored the pocket gophers gopher's rapid Increase in many agricultural sections until according to the bulletin It has become one orthe or of orthe the most destructive mammal pests of ot the country The bulletin discusses the appearance appearance appearance appear appear- ance and general habits of pocket gophers their disposition and senses the sounds they make the burrows they d dig g and the mounds they pile up their active seasons and their breeding breed breed- ing habits Sections also are devoted to the food of of these thes rodents their nat natural ural enemies and their damage to agricultural agricultural agricultural ag ag- ag- ag crops Including alfalfa and clover natural grasses root crops horticultural horticultural horticultural hor hor- crops Irrigated crops and pasture and range forage Control of Gopher As for the control of ot the pocket gopher the bulletin suggests that this is not extremely difficult but requires persistence and operative co-operative effort Details of cont control ol methods are not discussed discussed dis cussed but it is stated staled that the methods methods meth- meth meth ineth- tested and variously employed InClude include in In- clude elude fumigation of the burrows of f the pocket g gopher pher trapping with especially especial- especial ly y designed traps shooting and poisoning poisoning poi pol- all aU either Individually on single single sin sin- gle premises or In general campaigns o of community co Copie Copl of the new publication Technical Technical Technical Tech Tech- Bulletin T 2241 may be obtained ined at 10 cents each from the Superintendent Superintend Superintend- ent of Documents Government Go PrIntIng Printing Print- Print Ing ng Office Washington D D. D C. C |