The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1893-02-23
WHERE THE SKUNK IS USEFUL.
Hop Growers Find Its services = Grab
destroyer Indispensable.

Hop Growers fmd Its services as . Grab
Destroyer Indispensable.
owe protect skunks iD my section Of
New York state" said hop grower Of
Otsego county, who was visiting in
Scranton a few days ago, with as much
care as we do song birds. Nobody in
the hop-raising region of central New
York traps or shoots the skunk nova
days, for the reason that the little black
and white animal is the best friend the
hop grower has. 1t used to be supposed
that the skunk in his nocturnal prowl-
ings through the hop yards in the early
summer, did a. great deal of injury to
the tender vines of the growing hops.
but the discovery was made few
years ago that the contrary was the
fact, and since then every owner of a
hop yard, instead of laying plans to de-
stroy the skunk, as he had done before,
has become his friend and protector. It
used to be the custom in my neighbor-
hood for every hop grower to educate
his dogs to kill sxunks, but of late
years energetic farm dogs that showed
an inclination to Stay the harmless little
animals have been taught to let them
alone. When skurk pelts went up in
price a few years ago, many young
country men who had no hops began to
set deadfall traps for skunks on other
peoples lands The farmers upset the
deadfalls before any skunks had been
crushed to death under them, going
through their fields three or four times
a day in search of the quickly con-
structed fat stone traps. Then the
trappers went to setting steel traps for
skunks in secluded places These the
hop farmers confiscated every time and
before long the trappers abandoned the
work in disgust.
''The reason why the hop raisers in
Otsego county and the adjoining coun-
ties saw ft to foster the skunk was be-
cause a small family Of sl1unks, if no
one molests them, Will, in the course of
few days, hunt up aud destroy all the
grubs in every hill of hops in good
sized yard. The grubs gnaw the vines
off at the roots and If they are not dug
ont they will ruin yard before the
middle of summer. Soon after the
snow goes OFF in the spring pairs of old
sl1unks take up their abode naar the
borders of hop yards, generally in
stone wall or under log, and If men
and dogs don't disturb them they will
stay there all summer, raise their
young and destroy all the grubs in the
yard.
1T is interesting to see skunk steal
through hop-yard in search of grubs.
AS general thing he sallies forth after
nightfall from his nest, but have occa-
sionally seen him paving in the hop
hills in broad daylight The grub, as
said before, invariably works at the
base of the hop-vine, and unless man
or skunk digs It out, it will soon eat
the vine in two The skunk begins his
quest for grubs at the edge of the yard,
where he cocks his head over a hill of
hops and listens If grub Is working
at any one of the four trailing vines,
the skunk's keen ear catches the slight
sound that human ear couldn't detect,
and Immediately the knowing little
animal starts to paw vigorously in the
soil directly over the spot where the
grub'is working, taking great care not TO
scratch the vine or injure II in the least.
The skunk draws IN the dirt so carefully
that he doesn't break a vine that the
grub has eaten so far through that
it from the root.
las soon as the skunk has unearthed
the destructive grub he gobbles it down
as though it tasted mighty good. Then
he listens again, and If his unerring
ears tells him there is another grub in
the hill, he speedily paws 1t out and
eats it. If he hears no grub he trots to
the next hill, and so he lodges around
the yard until ne gets his fill of fat
grubs- He win never paw in hill
where there is no grub.
"Slcunks often become very conAding
when they find that the men and dogs
on the premises make no effort 10 scare
or harm them Last summer there
were more than dozen skunks around
my hopyard, and not one Of them Of
fered TO run of or 20 fight when any of
Us came near don't allow any one on
the farm 20 Brighten them, and they
got so that they realized that
they were welcome there; and last
summer they frequently hunted for
grubs in the hopyand in the day time
They searched while my man was run
ming q cultivator between the rows,
and they eventually became 50 con i'd
ing that they didn't take fright at the
man when he yelled at the horse and
turned It around at the ends OF the
rows
One of nv neighbo-s had skunk
family in his hopvard one summer that
attracted much attention II was CON-
POSED of two old sleunks and their Eve
kittens The young ones tagged their
parents about IN the daylight, while
people looked ~ them in plain sight
The owner Of the yard was proud Of
then: but one dag two strange dogs !
came along and tackled the whole fam
ilv. They killed them all, and the
farmer actually shed tears when he saw
his seven pets lying dead on the ground /
The dogs bad s}zedsddled, and the man
never learned who their owner was
\. Y. Tribune
"A female lior-tarheT. young and
fair. bcckoaed 70 the big lien Nero,
and il came and took a piece o. sugar /
cut OF ner mouth why. conld CO !
that t-iclzr' exclaimed spectator. I
ssly hat you7~ retortec the fair perform /