The record-union., 1892-09-28
FARMER VS.. SQUIRREL.
One Point Against tho Squirrel-An
Effective souirre! Eence.

ELECTIVE SquIfrSi renee.
The careful observer who is familiar
with the locality has probably noticed
that the ground squirrel is to be found
about the base OF Mt. Diablo. AS a mat
ter Of fact it is one of the richest squirrel
sections IN the State. The fruit orchards
or the surrounding country in some di-
rections are beginning To encroach upon
the lower slopes Of the mountain. Young
lruIt trees and squirrels do not harmon
iZe. One or the OTHER must give yyay Oh.
discord prevails.
our Supreme Court has decided that
squirrels cannot be eXterminatcd and
they have refused to sustain an ordinance
o our Board OF Supervisors requiring
! every landowner in the county 10 clear
them oil his own land. With all due re-
spect 10 the book learning and legal
knowledge Of the court, we know better.
! we have cleared the last one OH too many
times to leave any DOUBT rs to the ability
OF each farmer to take care of his own
J crop Of squirrels, and at much less q i
| than ii would be to let them live. The
| squirrel crop OF the farmer who kills OF
his own squirrels is rot the ones that
cause him trouble and expense 1t is
those that come IN upon him from his
| nClghpolS who Will not take care Of thor
| own.
| Under this state Of affairs what is the
| 1rult-gTOWer to do? Some OF the almond
orchards near the mountain are protected
with tight board fence six OF eight feet
! high, let into the ground, and with strips
| OF Old TN at the top SO bent that il is i'm
! possible for squirrel 10 pass over il.
Others station men or boys with shot
| guns TO patrol the frontier and mako IL
so warm for the intruderS that they are
! willing to retreat.
One orchardist was located where he
was exposed on three sides - the grain
! - Tld ln,n IL nlAsNt,. J. -
agine his deep breath of relief when an
| other orchard was planted on one side Of
! HIM, at the thought that that front was
! now protected and would cause him Ito
more trouble. The line fence between
| the two places was soon taken down, and
the nCighbors joined forces III war
against the pests. The first Of the two
neighbors protected his frontier with a
| fence OF posts and stringers with four
! foot shakes put on perpendlcularly, eX-
tending into the ground four or five
| inches. The game fence was extended
around two sides OF the new place. Holes
were dug with a 1laring opening, forming
an entrance from the outside going down
| and under the ends Of the shakes and
coming up with sharp turn into the or
! chard. The size Of the holes was only
| large enough for one squirrel to pass
through. These holes were about 80 or
! 100 feet apart along the whole line of the
shake fence. Upon the inside of the
| fence a warm reception was prepared for
| the intruder. At the exit from each hole
| into the orchard a steel trap was placed
! with arms wide open to receive the Wis
! itor. A strong cord was so arranged that
the squirrel could not carry the trap into
| the Enclosure, and the hole was not LARGE
enough to admit of its being pulled
through outside of it. So all that Mr..
| Squirrel could do was to stay right there
and block up his own doorway and pre-
vent his neighbors from passing him.
The traps were visited conscientiously
every morning, the dead taken out and
the traps reset. For months the catch
was from twenty-five to seventy-five
day upon the two places. With the holes
arranged as here described the squirrels
did not scale the fences to any extent.
| The result of this treatment has been that
now in the fall of the year scarcely a
squirrel is to be seen around the out
skirts of these two places. This is one of
the items of cost TO be met by the fruit
grower in the Mount Diablo section. He
/ 1ees that he has reason to congratulate
himself that even at this cost he has Sc
cured so effective means of protection
against this pest.
Gophers are quite friendly and sociable,
too, in some sections. Upon one new
place that we know Of, containing seventy
five acres, near the creek, over 900 nave
been caught this season. This means an
expense of S150 or 500 for this item alone.
After the squirrels and gophers are dis
posed of there still remain slugs, sawfly,
red spider, scale, frost, strong winds and
morning glory to contend against The
fruit-grower surely has his obstacles to
overcome in order to make a living for
himself and family much the same as the
balance Of mankind.-Pomagadel IN Con-
| ira Costa Gazette.