Daily camera., 1898-01-10
A QUEER CONTROVERSY.
Maine Farmers Disputing Over the
Skunk's Rat Catching Ability.
Tournament Have Been Held by
Shooting Clubs for the Purpose of
Determining This ImpOr-
tant Question.

until the question is definitely settled
the advocates of the proposed law pro-
hibiting the trapping of foxes can
make no headway 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 skunk
and any number OF healthy mice which
the fox trappers might choose to pro-
duce Since then three tournaments
have been held, and though every one
was largely attended and much money
wagered on the result, the referees have
been unable to render a decision in
favor Of either side.
At the first trial the skunk was shy
and so frightened at the crowds OF
men that he wouldn't pick up 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, it was far from salts
factory to the bettors, who insisted on
seeing the skunk catch and eat mouse
before they paid over their money. At
the second trial held in Sidney in Oc-
tober a 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 dazed condition,
which untitled them for trial. Upon
hearing this argument the referee re-
fused to declare the skunk the winner,
and appointed third trial, which came
off in Randolph early in November.
Ten tame white mice We're turned
loose in 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 a decision,
claiming that the skunk had fulfilled his
contract; but the fox champions de-
INJURED, sayin gthat 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 a fourth meeting, to be held
in Chelsea next May.
Members of the Brunswick I-ur club
and others who hunt foxes with dogs
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 new bait, which has peculiar
fascinating smell for foxes, the trap
pers are killing off al the foxes in
Maine, and taking them at time when
the fox is practically worthless. One
trapper who passed two weeks in the
Aroostooll county last February came
home with more than 300 pelts. In
kennebec county the new scent has
been used with such effect that a man
may travel all day in newly fallen snow
and not see a fox track. 1t is further
y er,to hot lid tho
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 sllunks
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 a
good number of the farmers present.
Then a member of the Fur club offered
to bet $500 that a skunk couldn't catch
a 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.
F 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 Maine viii be ruined and nobody
can raise any hard cider. The farmers
are equally confident that the foxes are
running the. poultry business of the
state and killing off all the sl1unks,
which keep the mice in check. Though
the 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 $4,000 that skunk can
not catch mouse, and offered a reward
OF $500 to any man who ever saw fox
LII q x-ly l. A