Blackfoot news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1891-1902, 1892-02-20
PRICKLY PORCUPINEs.
NOT CALCULATED TO TICKLE
THE PALATE.
Even Indians. who Eat Anything, WIN
Not Touch Them-A Serious
Damage to Crops Ia Some
Sections-Kllling Trees.

Since sent in some notes on the |
porcupine last winter limiting strong |
" that it was a nuisance there has |
been published good deal OF corre-
spondence concerning this prickly an
imal writes correspondence OF For. !
est and Stream.
Mr.. Jack thinks the poreupine Is not
especially noted as tresspasser on
mans domain. Here his observation
differ from mine most widely. Loay-
ing out my experience in the State OF
Maine which was mostly in the deep
woods, | have seen ten porcnpines
within lnclosed fields for every one |
ever saw in the woods. The injury to
the horse. the raid on the hen house
and the mingling with the turkeys
mentioned in my former letter, all oc-
Cured in less than a half mile nom
any woods.
DR. W. L. Mcdonald of Boston who
lives two or three mouths each sum
mer on his farm near here, has killed
one or two around his house every
season for the last six years. In June,
4 1877, / saw one enter the open front
door OF tho house Of Il. r. Colpitts, Of
Elgin. about one evening. The
house was ia the center OF good
sized milling village A young man
Mr.. Henderson-Of Forest Maine
told me that he had killed two In the
act OF gnawing their way into his
house. Every year saw evidences OF
their ravages ia tho buckwheat fields
around here, and the crops 81 two
men. Messrs. McAlary ana belyea,
whose farms abound in rocky ledges,
are materially injured by them.
Mr. Jack does not think that they
girdle ana kill tho trees. Though
had seen trees harked gougcd and
partially trimmed by them previous
to 1857 had never seen moro than
q half dozen small trees that they had
girdled. But in the bowldery country
adjoining the Chiputuettcook Lake
| (that Is tho place for porcupine+) there
: are hundreds Of large trees bearing
such unmistakabIe signs Of having
: been killed oy porcupiHes TINT he
: who runs may read | have seen
where they had guHwed the barS on a
space % four feet extending clear
around o hemlock tree that would
top" twelve inches M distance OF
thirty feet from the ground
! The gnawiug would be above the
r first branches. but the tree would b
: as dead us Julius Caesar. | saw vel.
y low birches, spruccs. beschs5 and elm.
: that had been similarly treated. aud
g ID - 3. ta-f.
z teen inches In diameter 10 tho butt
: and thirty feet high had evidently
2 been used by them as o boarding house
q Ii was completely denuGGd 81 hars
Z from the lowcrmost root TO the top
r permost Dough az the durky said
y This wa- at the head oi Spruce Moan
tain Cove, Spcdutc Lake; and anyone
II who visits tho place can easily 500 al
/ have described in tho way Of tree
r mangling. II was there that mad
q up my mind that the porcupnc WINS
nuisance and did much damage t,
p Maine timber
p The Drummer" says that tho feel
n OF the porcupine is good for food an,
that alive he il an interesting pet. A
to the latter think IL Is case tina
would justify the use Of tho niue
!, oyerworked DE gustlbus proyerb, bu
il is a question Of taste with which
:, am not disposed to quarrel | don
=, think | would have 20 oyertax myscI
e much 70 find 800 animals that woul
j. seem moro desirable 10 me in thI
~ capacity.
II never tasted the flesh Of the POI
III cupine; but any one around hero en-
IS tell you that 1t tastes just like mu
~ ton. F." though you will search long an
M diligently before you find man thu
~ will plead guilty to having eaten 1t
u any quantity or even TO tasting II
- all Week before last DR.. Mcdonald
al mentioned earlier in this letter. kille
ed a large fat porcupine
~ His nephew has ''squaw-man" liz
ing on his farm who assists him in III
cd faru work. and the man begged II
.er doctor to give him the carcass. Il
III had often eaten pOrcupine he salt
/, . and IL was good-it tasted like lamb
In The doctor told him TO take 1t hon
,ot and dress it. but TO save him sma
10 piece. Next morning the doctor ask'
I'd him how the lamb went. IN
al. devil" he said, could not eat tn
IN particular porcupine. 1t was 50 stron
n but taken in small quantities it mig
ric be blanked good medicine for choler
re- His wife couldn't go IT, either"
III added, and they gave 1t to tho C
No and dog, and they didn't appear
M care about IT." Now, there Is a 50
y. ing that amy thing is chuck TO an
In dian, and dict at which squt
lse and her dog and cat turn up the
for noses docs not seem 70 me extra DC
reble for white people.