Rocky Ford enterprise., 1899-04-27
FARMING MATTERS.
cnem,e. OF ,h. Or.., K.nr..


In addition to the destruction OF
grasses by stock. the number OF grass
eating pests. especially prairie dogs
and jack rabbits. has rapidly incrcas-
ed. These were formerly kept In
check to large extent by their natural
enemies, but when the bulk OF the
gray wolves and coyotes were killed
by stockmen. on account Of their depre-
dations among sheep and young cattle,
there was nothing to prevent the grass
dcstroyers from rapidly Increasing
and spreading over new territory.
Another potent cause of the spread Of
these pests to new land Is the destruc-
tion OF the grass and the consequent
diminutlon OF their natural food sup
ply. There are now hundreds OF
square miles of prairie dog towns In
the range country, while Jack rabbits
are becoming very numerous.
Five jack rabbits Will consume
enough grass per annum to keep one
sheep, and twenty prairie dogs will
eat and spoil even more. Like the rab-
bits In Australia. both OF these pests
breed rapidly. so that II takes only a
short time after the defamation OF eth
cr one by epidemics or by poisoning to
fully recruit their numbers. Poison
ing can be made effective II there Is
concert OF action among the stockmen
in any given locality. The dogs and
rabbits must be killed In all the past
urcs within II district. To destroy
them In one pasture or township and
not in the adjoining ones amounts to
throwing away time and money. There
Is great need OF systematic effort to
check the increase OF both rabbits and
prairie dogs. The amount OF forage
,..,l, 4. to,
nous. The loss of grass is distribut-
ed among large number OF stockmcn.
and so is not felt in Its entirety by the
individual owners. but the loss In tax
able values to the counties and the
state Is no small one.
The grass eaten by 100000 rabbits
would support 10000 sheep. and there
are many places where this would be
Il very modest estimate OF their num-
bers. In the heart OF the prairie dog
infested region the writer has seen eN
tensive villages where. ut very con-
servative estimate. there We're 1000 to
5000 prairie dogs to the square mile.
Now. on n square mile of land so in-
tested the dogs eat and dctilc grass
enough to maintain from 100 to 80
sheep per annum. Prairie dogs will
not tolerate tall grass near their bur-
rows, probably partly OH account Of
the cover thus given to their enemies,
and partly because these grasses are
better rclisled by the dogs.
They dig up the roots of all the
more succulent species. like the sedge
grasses. and permit only the low turf
formers to remain. Some of the grass
es that occupy the prairie dog-infested
land are intrinsically valuable for
grazing, especially in winter when
cured on the ground, but they lack the
bulk OF the taller kinds which would
grow on the land II the prairie dogs
We're killed. Lands occupied entirely
by these grasses are not and cannot
be called productivc: they have reach
ed almost the lowest stage of deteriora-
tion. and are next to valueless for
grazing purposes. The eSterminatiOn
of prairie dogs and jack rabbits mcnnS
a great deal II the grazing industry Is
to be developed to Its fullest extent
Jared Smith. in Field and Farm.