The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1900-04-07
A PEST OF PRAIRIE DOGS
tAHMS IN THE TEXAS PANHANDLE
ABANDONED BECAUSE OF THEM.
Lave Taken Possession Of the Country
From Which Other Animals Have
Been Driven-Thousands Of Dollars
Spent in Fighting Them,

| rum "hich Other Animals Have
been Driven-Thousands OF Dollars
spent in Fighting Them.
IHHERE has been such an in.
| II crease in the number of prairie
| u dogs in the panhandle sect ION
of Texas during the past few
years that many farms will have to be
abandoned unless some method of ex.
terminating the pest is adopted soon
Ihese little animals have multiplied
many fold since the country has be.
come settled up with stockmen and
farmers. The other wild animals,
such as coyotes and wolves, have been
driven out and the prairie dogs now
have undisputed sway. In some parts
OF the panhandle there are colonies of
prairie dogs which literally overrun
the country. There are often az manv
rs 5000 of them found occupying few
acres OF ground. The cultivation of
wheat around Abilene and other locali-
ties OF the panhandle is seriously i'm
peded by the destruction wrought bv
tie little animals. 1t frequently hap.
pens that colonies Of the prairie dogs
are established right in the center of
large wheat field and the animals
forage on the growing grain, COM
pletely destroying the crop.
Many farmers and stockmen have
undertaken the task of e1terminating
the prairie dogs on their own land.
Among these who have made a war
against the pest is Frank Sterret. a
prominent stockman of Abilene. Last
year he expended $500 in extermin-
ating prairie dogs on his ranch. All
OF the dogs on about sixty sections of
land were killed. This year he re-
ports that the dogs have invaded the |
land from the adjoining territory on{
all sides, and he will have to do sop4e
more slaughtering of the aniz lis
around the Quite. e5syes He clao ons
(hat the money expended IN killing
the animals is a good investment; as
the increase in the yield of grass COM
nensates for the outlay. The favo'ite
method of killing the dogs on fans
where live stock is not running at
large is by poison. A stockman hnng
at Sweetwater invented trap ior
catching the animals several moths
aro and it is rapidly coming intogen-
eral use. This trap is placed ovf the
holes made by the animals and cap
lures them when they come T. the
surface. Thousands OF live dogshave
heen captured in this manner ad IN
some places they are skinned anfneir
skins marketed in st. Louis an Cnl-
cago for good prices.
LEGISLATION IS PRoPosEf
The fact that thousands of ires OF
grass aud growing farm produs are
annually destroyed by the pesfaused
strong effort to be made at Ee last
session Of the State Legislature pro-
vide for the exterminatioa of ne ami
mails in the State. This billnade 1t
E the duty of the owners of la to kill
y all the dogs on their PROXY and
], when they failed to do so 3 work
- was to be done under the dEtlon OF
+ the Board of County Comfsloners
;. and the cost of same chargs's tax
q AGAINST the owner Of tharoperty.
The west and southwest us mem
= bers of the Legislature hred the
~ ~ passage of the bill, but it fopPE,oIsed
y by the east Texas membe inere
" are no prairie dogs in ease1as ana
the representatives IN thsSlsiature
from that part of the StaEere un-
'e able to take the bill serly. The
IN determination measure scome up
1e again for considerations the next
'n regular session of the sisture ana
;t;s believed that it wpe passed.
IS. It is ,conservatively esaed that IN
ne .on,o sections of the pendle coun-
en- try fully fifty per cent the grass
sir and agricultural crops destroyed
each year by the anin
ty The prairie dog.is a 9rkable ami
ze NAL in many respects, as OF very
10 d"ooat;c nsture. Th6 in colonies
Of from 500 to 5000 i1tants. They
live in holes which Usually from
%. a. fifteen to twenty-fvaieep. They
are careful to have thelr living
,, holes in dry soil. is one hole
ne in each colony whid Us down to
9" water and some OF water holes
have been known tdp dpver zoo feet
ful deem. The animals 10 alert and
it wary that it is alm npossible to