Show SERIOUS INJURY BY RABBITS most damage I 1 done by gnawing unprotected bark of fruit tree during winter season by WALTER B leutze considerable interest attaches at present to rabbits and hares especially on account of the great damage which they may commit upon cultivate ed crops and also on account of the profits which may be secured under favorable conditions from the breed ing of some races especially the del glan bare rabbits and hares are verbally ver sally hunted for game and their where danger lurks meat makes a very pleasant and de curable change in the diet in localities where these animals have bred in the wild state to such an extent as to become an agricultural nuisance they have been killed in great numbers and their meat used in canning large shipments are annual ly made from california colorado and other western states where the jack rabbit has multiplied in large num bers perhaps the most serious injury la done by rabbits in gnawing the ballf of unprotected fruit trees in winter when other food Is scarce rabbits may destroy whole orchards by girdling the trees various methods have been adopted tor the extermination of rabbits in such localities and for the pro of fruit trees against their at lacks the methods employed for this pur pose include hunting with firearms or with ferrets trapping and into corrals by means of regularly or parties of mounted hunters the attempt to bestrom rabbits by Bp reading contagious disease amon them has thus far not proven very successful the use of poisons such as strychnine and phosphorus has tain disadvantages on account of the fact that the jack rabbits do not bur row and consequently the poisons must be scattered on the surface ol 01 the ground and be a source of danger to other animals the protection of fruit trees and vineyards against rabbits may be accomplished complis hed by means of rabbit proof fences made of woven wire or by special protection for each tree or vine young trees and vines may be pro these will serve a oetter purpose on the farmer table than alive li an orchard of unprotected by wrapping them with strips of burlap gunny sacking coalso cloth wire netting pasteboard erdl nary newspapers or by banking the trees with eoll or cinders pers wrapped around the trees and fastened by a cord not too tightly serve as good protection against rabbits and mice should not crowd raspberries Rasp berries it la a mistake to crowd the rasp berries do not leave over six canes not nearer than four feet with rows feet apart heeling treba in heeling in trees the important thing Is to put them in a well drained and see that the roots are w covered r A ft |