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Show POISON THE ! SQUIRRELS I'nitcd Stales Department of Agricul ture, Salt Lake City. I Mr C. C. Sloan, County Commissioner Milford. Utah, Beaver County, Ucar Mr. Sloan: In reply to your inquiry regarding cooperative assistance for a Ground Squirrel campaign in Beaver County the coming season. Haaving made several visits into Heaver County the past three years, and having had extensive campaigns under similar conditions, I thing I ran appreciate the difficulties under which your people are laboring and I realize that the Ylng of the ar cultural crops depends on their ability abil-ity to control the ground squirrels. When I consider these conditions, I regret that greater assistance can not be extended, but I do not think that we should give up but better take advantage of what assistance is offered and apply it in the most economical ec-onomical way. Of course the only way to control this pest is to treat the entire area, but with the limited assistance this will be Impossible, 80' I would suggest sug-gest that the thing to do is for every farmer to try and save his own crops by treating around the cultivated areas and going aa far out into the uncultivated area as possible. In order or-der that this litriited amount of st.y I'.iiirie, I undarsland thr-t there is 240 ounces, may be used In the most economical way, I would suggest that all the poison be mixed at some cer-tnin cer-tnin place, perhaps Milford, using the very best selected oats, and as we do not want any accidents, the poisoned grain should be sacked in sacks that are labeled poison. As strychnine and labor are very expensive ex-pensive it does not pay to use anything any-thing but the very best of supplies as a few cents saved on supprres might mean a very large waste In our roBults. As 240 ounces of the strychnine will only mix 2 tons of the oats which will be a very limited sup ply, I would suggest that the people wait, uniu aoout April nrst uerore J putting out any poison. Some of your people may question this date 2 aa too late to obtain results but when i I have tho following facts to consld- J er, I don't believe it would be pro- i fitable to put out any poison befr j the la9t week in March or April 1. f Everyone knows that all the spuir- i rels do not go in at the same time, j and the close observer knows that J it requires from 3 to 4 weeks for i all the squirrels to go into hiberna- 4 tion, and sb they do not all go in at J the same time, they do not all come t out at the same time, and I think 4 that you will find that it takes at ! least three or four weeks for them i all to come out and the last out will 4 be the females and the very squirrel j that we wish most to kill. So why not wait until all the squirrels are ( out so that we will have a chance to J kill all with one treatment rather J than make several treatments. I do not wish to have the people think , that I am basing ail of my opinions J on my own experiences as I am but 1 rather giving them the practical field , experiences of a great many of em- 1 ployees in this bureau. ' Perhaps if we are able to carry on a successful campaign this coming com-ing season, that next year we will be able to carry out a much larger scale and treat the whole of the infested area. We are following this plan iT some rafts of Utah and it is proving very successful. I would like very much to extend some personal assistance, but find that my time i3 very limited and that I will be unable to be in Beaver Coun ty very much, but if you can arrange to hold your meeting or mix the poison poi-son on March 15, I can be in Milford on that date. I am advising County Agent Christiansen of this fact. Very truly yours, B. B. RICHARDS. Biological Assistant, in Charge Rodent Ro-dent Control Utah. : |