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About The Times-herald. (Burns, Harney County, Or.) 1896-1929 | View Entire Issue (Aug. 21, 1920)
! Two Till! T I M K H II K 11 A I) 1) II U It N H , If A It N lfl Y OOUN T Y , O It K (ION Getting Rid of the Rodent Pests (Tho following nrttolo appeared In a recon t isauu of the Country Gentle ainn. ' It is of particular interest nt .hlu tlmu whllo tho proposition nf rabbit bount)' and control uro under onsldoratlon and Ihuroforu 1h copied, Tho story. 1h too long for Insertion complete in ono Ihhiio, thuroforo the pocond installment will bo published auxt weeks) (ly K. V. Wilcox) , Whon I.owlu Carroll In describing thu Jnbberwock referred to "tho tooth sculps. Tho law was in offont only thruu inches In diameter mid three olghtoon lnontlm, hut 71,71!'.l coyolou to ton Inches beneath tho iiurfuco were killed under It. Then tho Jack of tho ground. The gopher In look rnhhltH began to multiply ttlarmlngiy. lug for roots to oat. Alfalfa root Uy 1 S y H tho farmers complalnud that ami carrotu eomo In hnmly. Provided Jack rabbits woro canning far more harm than tho coyotes had done. A bounty of twenty coutii each wan then olTored for rnhhltH. Likewise tho hawks and owl foil wl h lur-llnnd pouchuj In hlti cheolu, tho gopher can collect booty till ho Iiah u load and (lion go to IiIh storo- Iiouho. In tho 'course of a yoar a' slnglo gopher may tunnel a network too occnHtonally took n chicken to give variety to their regular ration of prnlrlo dogs and. rabbits. . Thon thoro were tho foxes, tikunkH and that bite, thu elawH that scratch," ho, badgers. Tholr grcatoct mlnfortuno jlrobably did not have in mind tho ! wan that they woro film. And no n'nlrio dog, tho vurlouH UIiuIh of man Hhot or trapped .thorn for tholr ground squlrrols, tho pocket gophers,) furs. Now, this wan till very lino for .no kangaroo rats and tho Jack rub-1 the pralrlo dogH and Jack rnhhltH. 1-ltii. Hut all tho teeth of every ono 1 The badger no longer disturbed tholr of thexo animals aro busy gnawing unlet uuhterrnuenn homes, and hawku at tho farmer's crops, and all tholr und coyote no longer Hiiappod thorn luwH ure Industriously tunneling un urgrauttd npurtmouts or countruct- '.ng nests In which to rear tho coming out of tho wny tho only limit to tho uudor tho curso of man because; they of pnHsugoH under a Hold of Hovoral unemtloiis of prarlo dogo and tholr numerous relatives to fatten ontho ..omlng crops of the farm. These' aro not posts that have re cently boon brought In from foreign .ountrlua. They are not tho kind that roruohow munugod to got by tho im migration Inspector. They aro nut ifu Americans, ovory ono of them. U'.toh. 1 lot u and there along tho tun iioIh ho comes to tho nurl'nco to throw ' out Iooho null, thus making moundii all over tho field. Othorwlso thoy almost novtir mIiow thoiiiHolvtm, I have many times found on rolling up my blankets in tho morning, that! u gopher Iiiih tunneled uudor mo whllo I slept, Forage At Night ' A curious little animal with long tall and long hind legs and known'us tho kangaroo rut has In recuiit years become a ncourge in tho Houthwenl. I i Thev dlu tin und eat or carry away i the amount of available food on,,.,, i.,iu nt umtii im taut n vim rnn I - - i up when they ventured out nfter forage. With tholr natural onumloH number of these rodents was set by furms and ruuges and thoy promptly started out to nttaln thin limit. Thus wo littvo gradually loarnod i ed tho nnltnitls which held tho ro in u roundabout wny that having kill dents In check, wo must ourselves do tho work which thoso carnivorous Thoy woro menllouod by tho earliest anlmulu formerly did for un namely, -.xplorors who crossed tho Croat) kill tho rodents. If wn look nt maps i'lalns. lleroro agriculture hud ex-1 showing tho distribution of somo of tondod west of 100th degreo U. these thoso rodout peits wn find that tho rodents lived on tho louvui, stums, pocket gophers cover nil tho staton iMtrm or roots mi native grnnnos anil west or lOOllt tregrco i mai grouuu liter plants, but when in on began ; squirrels am oiiuulty ubiquitous ox j plant garden aud Held cropB hero ' eept for tho western und of Wash- and there In this range country. thp Ington, that tho Jack rabbit Iron T))) Jnck rftl)l , t,,(, ,,,, ()f prarlo dogs, squirrels, ami rabhllK claims stuked nut nil over tho region) HnK(,irnH, ,y tny MU ,ml j K,t fcoon noticed thul wheal, oats, barley, J except HttU patches or Montana, j ())(, Jum1 ((( (uHk ym H(,(J ,,,, ,ul. Ufnlfti. carrots and corn tasted much! Idaho, Washington, Oregon and Cnl-' , ' '.,.,- m.,tVu forrtnlnir nml von utter than gramn grass, sagebrush Ifnrnla, und that the prnlrlo dog has. W0IMir W,ro ci, Uu ,my of them plant thmn. Vegetable gardening Is MUlto Impossible when kangaroo rntsi are numnrouii. Ilurrowit have boon found with ncvor.il bushels of sued stored away (or winter uso. In this rogues gallery of rodonts I must also nuorvo u place for the Jack rabbit. Klvo of thoso rahbltn will oat us much ah a sheep and do it oftonor. Thoy do not burrow, but mtiku tholr nosts In the grass under weeds or low brush. Thoy oat any thing green or succulent, including nlfalfn, grain, garden vcgetahloh, grapevines nnd young fruit trees nml nfninria roots. jrious toll or garden und Held crops Mil they began to Increase In mini 'ors, at llrst slowly and later at a nto'ro alarming rate, until thoy he camu u verltnblo plague. What wnH tho main cnuse of the Increase of these pesky creatures? Man, directly fatul Indirectly. Man raised an abund ance of succulent nnd savory food for them, and man killed thulr on wmles. Then tho prttrlo dogs and ground squirrels nnd Jack rabbits hud towns vatylug In extent from it few .a r 1 .... squaiteg on tne wuuiu uroni imnm . , lllVt, )U..n concealed during the day. Thoo rodent peats not only took it area and most, of tho mountain sen tloirbul has refused to visit Califor nia nnd tho rest of thu J'aclllc Coast. Hut perhaps someone Inquires how big this rodent problem Is. Well, In order to underMand hotter the, (f yo Mi()Hl( ru(U, w a)1 rHporl nature and extent of tho problom of extermination before us, It may bo well to take a hasty look at the hab its and family life of four or flvo of the chief Injurious rodents or tho Wos,t. Tho pralrlo .dog, "fat und greasy citizen" of the plains Is it soc- way. Hut these mothodit would really try thu patience of Job. Just picture yoursolf a farmor out tut tho limit less roaches of tho Great Plains In it thlrty-mllo wind, trying to persuade a poisonous gitH to go down Into a pralrlo-dog hole. As a rulo these gnicioiiH Irritated the farmer about us much as the pralrlo dog. Thu hooks say that cnrbon-hlsul-phldo gits Is heavier than air and will all sink Into the rodent burrows. Hut the wind whirls Homo of iUibout and you somehow munngo to Inhale enough to have it maddening head ache thu next day. Then tho farmer tried poisoned halts, In these halts he used strych nine arsenic, cyanide of potash, bar ium enrbounte, c .rroslvo sublimate and phosphorus. !l i olod tho kind or rood prererred l v the pralrio dog, tho various kinds of ground squirrels und thu pocket gopher, und also tho Jack rabbit. Then the halt had to ho Inllltratod or coated with the poison und so scattered as not to endanger i livestock und birds. It wan round ' that he kernrtls or wheat, bnrlny and ' oats woro most enticing to prairie T'Ogs and ground squirrels, that car rots, apples and raisins suited tho pocket gopher, whllo alfalfa would gut thu attention of Jack rabbits. (Concludedo Next Week) democrats nnd republicans of Ohio. Family Jars tiro unethical In thoso days oT political HOmppery und disillusionment. Huttinhjy, August 121, JfniO M A II Y O It I F F I N ItrimliticHn OnadMulD Ifor Mifteol BapcrinU'iidcat -4 fr it may bncomo uccensnry, even yet, to build a splto fence betweon tho In yea, town JJ BJJImO 1 I9ULER NPAIN'rs 71 YEAR I HIWM Knutiiaco. I PAINT If there's a good reason for any thlnjri then It's palntlnrc your house with Rood jialnt. I-'UIJiKU Paint Ih GOOD Paint. II saves u preat dcul more than It cost tetves you money In up keep nnd adds to tho value of four propeity. nvMt I" FULbKIt Tulnt right uwtiy. W.P. Fuller & Co. ma, apnnmnu. of the county ngeiits for itU'J you would coucludo that It Is one of the, biggest agricultural problems west of lUUlh degree hi Un II Is treated In detail In thu report on almost every county or tho Western States. It be came necessary for thu Hurcau or .t THE UNIVEHSAl CAR . .. 1 1 s unlmal living In colonies or dog J ,'o,okIcm, aurVl,y , nuik(J ril(,olll uV. nothing to do but eat aud multiply ftid they did both without much re- ..V p.$bw ohltl dVikl Hid The l)o Tou tin The natural onumles or these posts aro coyotes, wolves, foKos, skunks, weasel, badgers, owls, hawks, fal cons, eagles and so on. The coynto U extremely dluver In catching Jack rabbits, pralrlo dogs and their conn- is. In fact ho was so effective at the ' Job that thu Jack rabbits had reason think twice as ofton of N'emesls In. thu slinpo or a coyote us or a reast , In the form of alfalfa. The coyote , considered a young prnlrlo dog or rabbit a very toothsome morsel, aud ho, of course, had much to do with setting n moderate maximum on tin number or these rodents. The Mume . may be said in a lesser degree ror,',l"ul", of "rt HUHUl HM0 0,,l ,,,h uoIvoh. foxos, hawks, owls, wousels u1"1 thr,s" or four ft'"1 ,n ,,,l""l'l"r und skunks. I Thu hole goes almost straight down Tho br.dgei should receive special t0 omooii feot, und Ihon horl niotitlon an 'a chnmplou exterminator , wiually about nit equal dlstnnco. Tito rf pralrlo dogs nnd ground squirrels. I nWHtu ur1 H(,u 'w'u, " I remember how In tho nlnotle.i tho'frwm u,u horizontal part oi mo our budfjor cleaned up thousands of acres roW- of "dog towns" and flqulrrol dons In! I'rulrlo dogs, llko most or nil of tho Judith nnsln, Montana. Tho Cuu other uurrowlng rodents of the rodents had bocomo n nuisance. Then' y,y,'lyM' Kut a,ol,K wuout water. Tor un nrmy of badger camo in through t,,u IU0Mt nurt luo,r uW"fow, ur m,,0H Judith Gup and proceeded Blowly to trom Wftt"r ano oi ,ourso thoy do not 'g out of tholr burrows and cat all tU dcwD "ugh to reach water. Thoy tho prairie dogs and squlrrols In that Kl BUl'lcleitt wnter In tho groon veg rcgion. I (ttatlon which thoy tat. It has been It wait a stupdndons undertaking. '"Htlmutod that thirty-two pralrlo dogs Them wert thousands of Inhiibltiul will eat au much gruus uu u shuop und acres to thousands of square miles. Dog towns twenty mile long nru not rare anil In Texas there was a colony which covered L'fi.000 square utiles. In a dog town tho number of holes nu itcru varlus from a few to moro than two hundred. Not. all thu dugouts are occupied. Now nnd then a snake or burrowing owl cloans out a whole family of dogs, but thu average num ber an acre may he set nt twunty-llvo, which would give thu great Titxns dog town u population of 400,000,000. Tho number ot young In each litter Is about four, and thu young llrst appear at thu mouth of the hurrowa from May to Juno. Prnllo dogs nru extremely Industrious. When thoy are not eating they nru working on the burrows, bringing out dirt nnd stoniM. The mouth or oncii narrow thus comus to bu In n craterlllie burrows. And tho burrows or prairie ixiga somullines go down us deup twelve or fourteen fot Ifut thu budgors with most uncanny porsover niicrt coriicred ovory Inhabitant or tlioio burrows In some blind passage and then patiently tunneled their way to thorn und atu thorn. Thu prnlrlo dog tasted good to the badger wheth er hu finally reached lilm at the hroHhrant, lunch or dlnnor hour. It took sovcral years to do the Job on tho wholo urea, nnd then the bndgers wont nwny looking ror other dog towns. Hut Just oh the prnlrlo dog con ceived a greutur fondness for alfalfa und wheat than for dry range grasses, so the coyoto round young lainb., (hickonn and turknyn moro to Ills liking than pralrlo dogs, Thus both tho pralrlo dog und Him coyote bocuntu unpopular, but tho coyote lnctirrod tho greatcronmlt of man, fcnitlnrb shot, poisoned, trupped und killed coyotes, California, for example, punned a law In 1801 offering a boun ty of flvo 'dollars ouch for coypto i'Cd riH much as n cow. Ground squirrels aro essentially pocket editions of pralrlo dogs, .Slightly smaller but of much thu same habits, thoy aro llkowlsu social and live In colonial, Thu burrows, which may have only ono or two op enliiL's. or uvea four or flvu If tho family Is moro consequential, descend I hydrocyanic-acid gns and carbon bo- from one and u half to four fuul or termination one of its major projects. , To this end cooperative ugrcumouts ' were reached with thu agricultural j extension rvrvlcu In nil tho Wuitcru Htntes except Texas und Oklahoma. In Nevada thu work was assigned to tho statu rubles commission and In j California to the horticultural com- mission, but both lltesu bodies cooper ate with thu extension service, with J the help or the state relations ser- vice. The work ot extermination began j llrst in the stales worst affected. Kansas In ID 01 passed a law provld-i lug for the destruction tr pralrlo dogs n;ul gophers. It was estimated at ; that llino that dog towns covered j . 000. 000 acres In thu statu. A situ- j liar law was placed on the statute i boohs or Nebraska In IDOtJ. The j i constantly increasing damage rrom rodents soon forced snino coucerii'd i action toward their extermination In' all thostates west or 100th degree U. ! In thin, as In all movements ro- r quiring cooperative action, thu first' mop was trom Individual Initiative. t Farmers, In Bclfdcfvnuo, tried vuloua , methods of saving tholr crops from destruction. They studied the habits of pralrlo dogs and gophers to learn . how thoy might ho attacked most sue- cessfully. Farmers gavo thulr young sons a small bounty for prnlrlo dogs ( und ground nnulrrelB. Tho boys be-l came expert marksmen. In many casos thu hoy brought In scalpH In such numbers us to make tho farm er wondor whoro tho bounty monoy could ho found. Hut tho posts still Increased In numhors. Two seemed to spring up for each one Hint was shot. Traps woro tried and othor kinds of lioniemndo contrivances, Fumigation by various methods was attempted. In these experiments tho farmers made use of sulphur fumes, , f m 1 u I J lorc'3 the Ford Coupe, deservedly a very popular motor car because of its all-round serviceability. Equipped with electric starting and l'tRlilinR system and demountable rims with 3-inch tiret front and rear. Large plate glass windows. Generous sized doors roomy scat, upholstery deep and substantial. Pust-proof and water-proof. Breezy nnd cheery in fine weather, cozy and dry in bad weather. All the established Ford merits of dependability, with small cost for opera tion rtnd upkeep. For business and professional men who drive it is iuval and for tourina and other pleasure driving it is the one cap tnat delivers all expectations. The demand is large so orders should be left with-ui without delay. BURNS GARAGE BURNS, OREGON 3. ' - ' A u ' " I J J - - . - - more into thu ground, after which tho rooms are located along a horizontal tunnel tun to fifty feet long. A litter of ground squirrels varlus rrom two to fourteen, with nn average of about six. Thoso posts aro fond of almost anything which tho farmer may grow. Thoy can eat sagebrush und dry range grass, hut they profor alfalfa, grain und other crops, Thoy hnvo u Imblt of biting off the wheat stoms Just us thoy uro about to bond, eating only tho tondor parts. Thus whole fluids may bo mowed down, Tho pockot gopher is an under ground onppor of tlrolesn energy. Thoy uro constantly extending tholr mining tuunolB, which are about ' unltilililii TlimiHiinilH of HOiilrrnls und pralrlo dogs wero killed In this, JOHN OKMIIKKM.no. IRRIGABLE and HAY LANDS in the heart of Harney Valley now offered at $30.00 to $1 10.00 an acre -a. AH Within the Harney Valley Irrigation District Large acreage cutting hay. All with Nwater rights. Jovvoli'i', nnd Optloimi liJnirrtwor. Fine Wulch Itcpalrlng a Specialty. PACIFIC LIVE STOCK COMPANY Sales Office at Burns.