The Bemidji pioneer., 1902-06-26

| land, Of course, away down deep in
Ibis heart, he blessed the preacher.
GRAY SQUIRRELS A PEST.
Sout hern Corn Raisers Shoot Them and
Afterward Eat Them.
In eastern Texas, southern Arkan-
sas, Louisiana and Mississippi where
q great deal of corn is grown, the
farmers are now making preparations
to protect their crop from the hordes
of gray squirrels that infest the woods
and like nothing better than roasting
ears, says the New York Sun.
The young Of squirrels are more
than half grown, out Of the nest and
as busy as their elders One Of them
cannot eat more than an ear Of corn
in a day, and if they confined them
selves to 4 single ear apiece probably
The soutellrners would not bother
them.
Its the habit of the squirrel, how
ever, to scamper from ear to ear, as 9
bee goes from flower to- flower. From
each the squirrels eat the tenderest
top part, that being most easily
reached through the folds of the
shuck, and in this way they ruin q
great deal Of corn, the injured ear
failing to mature properly. The
squirrel gets little beside milk out Of
these kernels, but likes that and gets
deliciously fat on it.
The ingenuity Of the southerner
has never devised any way Of check
ing this pestexcept with the shotgun.
It would not do to poison the ears, AZ
later on the poisoned ones could not
be told from others, and there is no
form Of bait which could be laid out.
to attract the pests, since they not
want anything but young corn.
So the farmer and his boys have to-
content themselves with wandering
stealthily through the fields, going
across the rows and looking down.
them as carefully as they can. The
corn is as highas their heads, but that.
does not matter. In fact, it affords.
better concealment.
Wherever they see stalk shaking
violently there they know that q
squirrel is at work. They walk slow
", taking their time, since they know
that the squirrel will take his.
When close enough they see a small
gray body eoiled around an ear, the
long tail hanging down and the sharp
teeth busy at work. They knock him
off at 80 yards with No. s shot and
take time to swear at him lazily.
Immediately after the report there
is a mighty scampering among the
rows made by alarmed squirrels hur-
rying to the woods, which always
grow close down to the field. In
deed, the little animals rarely venture
more than so yards into the field, and
in this way their ravages are circum-
scribed.
They will rush to the fence, 60 over
it like a flash and hide themselves
among The branches, chattering vol
ubly. Meantime the farmer or one
Of his boys is reloading the muzzle-
loader. He knows that the squirrels
will be back in Is minutes, coming
out by ones or two's, and he will stay
! shooting until the sun is within an
hour of setting.
/ Atthat time the squirrels allleave
the fields, to return after the sun is
well up the next day. Protection Of
some sort is gained in this way, not so
i much from the number Of squirrels
/ slain, though they are killed in hun
dreds, as from the fact that the noise
Of the gun acts as scarecrow and
keeps them disturbed.
Any 15-year-old boy in southern
cornfeld at this season is able to kill
a couple Of dozen of squirrels day,
and as they are all young they are
delicious food. There is nothing bet
ter than youngfried squirrel unless it
be young squirrel broiled on the open
Goals.