The Pioche weekly record. [volume] (Pioche, Nev.) 1877-1900, 1892-01-28
GROUNDING PARADISE.
A Region Where They Undermine kai-
WAYS and Live with Gray Rabbits.

"A
WAYS and Live with Gray Rabbits
seThey have an officer called the
grounding inspector on the Ieacnoot.
tom railroad in Lancaster county "a,
said travelling man to New YORK
Sun reporter, "and he's a very impor-
tant officer. too The Peachbottom road
isn't a very long nor very wide one,
and it runs from Peachbottom on the
Susouehanna river diagonally across
the southern corner of Lancaster. That
is the paradise of the groundhogs.
II have been in the famous ground
hog pastures of Connecticut and New
Hampshire. where these animals an
nually eat up over seven hundred thou
sand dollars worth of clover for the
farmers, although there is price on
their heads and they are hunted night
and dav; but those choice abiding
places for groundhogs are sparseiy pop
ulated by them when compared with
that little neck of country through
which the Peachbottom railroad goes
They run the whole country there
They have honeycombed the meadows
with their burrows until farmer can't
walk over his farm without stumbling
into one of the holes at every step, and,
not satisfied with that, have set about
in a systematic way to undermine the
Peachbottom railroad. They have bur-
rowed it so successfully that man had
to be appointed so | was told at Ok
ford, to keep constant lookout along
the line so that no train will be dumped
into the ditch from track made I'M
stable by the burrowing of groundhogs.
This inspector reports the scattering OF
colony of twenty-five groundhogs in
one night, they having already
made an excavation in the railway en-
banlsment big enough for train to ruin
through The slate and shale soil OF
that part of the country is what the
grounding likes, as it raises big clover
and is just the thing to burrow in.
"Thc presence of so many grounding
holes in that region has also caused a
big increase in gray rabbits, according
to the farmers, although the rabbits
have always been more than plentiful
These rabbits do not burrow, and have
consequently always have been more
or less exposed to the attacks
of hawks, foxes, hunters and owls
The grounding burrows, however
they have suddenly discovered, Offer
them excellent protection from theil
enemies, and they seem to be living
! as contentedlJ and undisturbed IL
, the burrows with the groundhogs a
the burrowing owls and prairie dogs d
) on the western plains. This arrange
, mcnt is especially advantageous to thu
. rabbits so far as foxes are concerned
/ as q fox will not enter a groundho
: hole under any consideration.
!, THE abundance of groundhogs il
t southern Lancaster county has ais
given rise to new sport, which hasn
, much to recommend it. This is tn
' matching of fighting dogs agains
| groundhogs, and scarcely a night passe
: that a match is not fought in some
y body's cellar or room fitted up for tn
j. purpose. Dogs are trained purposely I
r fight groundhogs, and those who hay
l. witnessed matches say that the groun'
v hog is such fierce and gamy fightt
when he is cornered and has to tigl
n that the dog has to be good one with
Y big reputation where the sports wi
s not give odds in favor of the groun
" hop"