Show KILLING NG P PRAIRIE IRIE DOGS the extermination of prairie dogs over large areas has been aden i practically completed acco according raili 9 to the report of the of biological survey just bubli publish esho ed by the united states dea de p of af agriculture arid and MI wide de stretches clies of valuable chip ga ing lands have been entirely cleared 16 ard of this pest in national forests in colorado new mexico utah and oklahoma more than 93 95 per e cent of the prairie dogs have already been destroyed I 1 active campaigns are still in in progress in arizona new mexico Mon montana tima and south dakota dakita and in the rio grande forest in colorado the average cost of distributing poison on areas infested by prairie dogs lias has now been reduced to less than 5 cents an a acre ere in cases where has made it necessary to go over the land again the cost hadnot has not exceeded 3 cents an acre poisoned oats have been found to give the most consistent results CX except capt in the coconino forest in arizona where a species of blue stemmed grass is abundant ilie ae prairie dogs are so fo fond nd of this that they care little for grain W whether hether poisoned or not the biological survey is also carrying on work against ground squirrels pocket gophers jack rabbits moles mountain beavers ar pine mice and crawfish as well as against wolves and coyotes in the west the crawfish which are so injurious in parts of mississippi and alabama can be kept away at an annul expenditure pend iture it is estimated of 25 cents an acre or less after the lands have been once thoroughly treated while endeavoring savoring end to destroy these and other pests the bureau is also en encouraging coura in an v crease of population of benefi cial birds the results of the second bird census in the sprang of 1915 showed that bird life liine can be largely increased throughout the country where efforts are made to protect the th birda bird 9 the population increases rapidly of the new national bird reservations established during the past year two are in t and one in minnesota in all sixty seven such reservations reservation are are now in charge of the depart met with few exceptions the tha conditions on them are said to be vei verv v favorable to the in increase creise of bird life |