Lexington gazette. [volume] (Lexington, Va.) 1871-1962, 1898-01-12
A QUEER CONTROVERSY.
Maine Farmers Disputing Over the
Skunk's Rat Catching Ability.
Tournaments Have Been Held by
Shooting Clubs for the Purpose of
Determining This ImpOr-
tant Question.

The 500 bet regarding the ability Of
an average Maine skunk to catch ar
average Maine mouse is still unpaid, AND
until the question is definitely settled
the advocates of the proposed law pro-
hibiting the trapping of foxes can
-, make no. Roadway against popular
prejudice. Last spring the Sun gave
an outline of the dispute. 1t was in
tended then to settle the whole question
by. an open field trial between a skunk
and any.number of healthy mice which
:. .tshei f6x. tfappers might choose to pro-
/ duce:S SINCE then three tournaments
I .iidye ;beeneheld,. and though every one
;;-:aV tfsaargefy attended and much money
= :, Wagered an the result, the ri ferees have
!: Seer, unable TO render a decision in
=; favar of either side.
Atthe first trial the skunk was shy
and so frightened at the crowds OF
men that he wouldn't pick up a mouse
when it was placed under his nose,
though it is claimed that he caught and
ate two mice after the men had gone
away. While this answered the de-
mands Of science,.jt was far from salts
factory tor the beftors, WHO insisted on
seeing the skunk catch and eat a mouse
before they paid over their money. At
the second trial held in Sidney in Oc-
tober tame skunk that had been kept
hungry for two. days was introduced
into the pen among the mice. This
skunk had no trouble in catching three
mice, all of which he devoured in the
presence of the spectators. Before a
decision could be given the men who
Lad. wagered money. against the skunk
declared that the mice had been caught
recently; and were in a dazed condition,
which untitled them for trial. Upon
hearing this argument the referee re-
fused to declare the skunk the winner,
and appointed a third trial, which came
off in Randolph early in November.
Ten tame white mice were turned
loose in. a tightly fenced area two rods
square, and when the guests had assem-
bled and the bets had been made the
tame skunk of the previous meeting
was put among them. The skunk was
not hungry and paid no heed to the mice
that scampered about at his feet. A
mouse was killed and fed to him to
sharpen his appetite, after which he
seemed to have no trouble in catching
all the mice he wanted. When he had
killed four without making any at
tempt to eat them, the men who had bet
on the skunk demanded decision,
81 !, o{ Ia 81, bo1 f,,1 1aI hi
contract; but the fox champions de-
. INJURED, saaing that white mice were not
so agile as the wild field mice, and as
serting that the two rods limita-
ton of the pen gave the skunk an ad-
vantage which he could not get in the
OPEN field. For. these reasons the
referee declared all bets off and APP
pointed fourth meeting, to be held
in Chelsea next May.
u" Members of the Brunswick Fur club
say that the welfare of all the apple or
.chards in Maine depends upon the re-
suit of this contest. They say that by
using Il new bait, which has apeculiar
fascinating smell for foxes, the trap
pers are killing off all the foxes in
Maine, and taking them at time when
the fox is practically worthless. One
trapper who passed two weeks in the
Aroostook county last February came
home with more than 300 pelts. In
Kennebec county the new scent has
been used with such effect that man
may travel all day in newly fallen snow
and not see fox track. 1t is further
asserted that no sooner did the foxes
disappear from their haunts than the |
mice began to girdle the apple trees,
killing whole orchards in a single win |
ter. For these reasons the men who |
hunt foxes. with dogs asked the state
to put stop TO trapping, and came be- |
fore the Legislature with the names of |
more than 5000 orchardists attached |
to their petitions. In the debate which
followed Secretary McKeen, of the |
board of agriculture, said that skunks |
killed more mice than foxes, and as |
foxes killed skunks, the hunters |
were trying to preserve the wrong ami
NAL. This assertions was disputed by |
all the hunters, and supported by
good number of the farmers present.
Then n member Of the Fur club offered |
TO bet 500 that a skunk couldn't catch
mouse in an open field. This was
grabbed up by farmer, and before the
committee adjourned more than $1,000
had been wagered on the result.
No law was passed last winter, the
legislature thinking it best to wait and
learn the result of the field trial. Mean
time both factions have been busy in
soliciting support, The fox hunters
declare that unless the trapping by
scented meat is stopped all the orchards
in M3dHe willrbe ruined and nobody
can raise any hard cider. The farmers
fffe equally confident that the foxes are
r;giniBs the poultry business of the
state and killing off all the slunks.
which'ke the mice in check. Though
fhea legislature does not meet again
in regular session until January, 1899,
the fox hunters have obtained nearly
10000 signatures to their petitions, and
have wagered $1,000 that a skunk can
not catch mouse, and offered reward
Of $500 to any man who ever saw a fox
kill skunk. From the present indica-
tons the controversy promises to be-
come one of the issues in the political
compaign of 1S9S.--N. Y. Sun.