The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1904-05-27
Field Mice We're Active During the
Winter Months.
Blue Earth County Farmers Among
The Losers.
Lonq, Cold Winter Drove the Mice to
Eat Bark.
Multiplied Rapidly Last Summer, Grass
Supply Gave Out.
From Wednesdays Daily.

Field mice wrought great destruction
to fruit trees in this vicinity last winter
Some farmers in Mankato and Decoria
and other townships lost every fruit tree
that they had through the mice eating
off the bark. One farmer lost $50 worth
of trees. The loss appears to have
occurred mostly in orchards where there
were a lot of weeds for the mice to
take shelter in. When these were burn
ed in the spring the mice jumped in all
directions.
The damage wrought by the mice was
not confined to this section, but papers
received from Wisconsin tell the same
story and orchards in other states
suffered likewise. The matter has led
to some discussion, owing to its fea-
lures. At first thought it seemed alb
surd that mice should eat the bark from
trees, but the bark of young fruit trees
is soft and Juicy. The marks of the
teeth of field mice can be easily discover
ed on the bark of the dead trees.
Whether any other trees throughout
the entire country were damaged to any
extent in like manner is not known but
it is probable. According to The Bos-
ton Transcript this destruction of trees
by field mice was due entirely to the
extreme cold weather of the past win
ter. 1t is said that last summer the num-
Der of mice increased wonderfully IN
number and that when winter came and
they had no supply of dried grass to live
on they turned to the trees as their only
means of food. =
Just as the field mouse in summer re-
mains hidden under the punches OF
grasses so in the winter they make little
burrows underneath the snow to their
feeding places. In many places the snow
was quite deep and thus the mouse could
climb higher onto the trunk of the trees
where the nourishment would be softer
and still be under the covering of snow.
The rabbits are also said to have helped
the mice in this destruction for the same
reasons.
The meadow mouse is one of our COM
monest animals. 1t has not the tin can
appetite of a goat; but it will subsist
on grass and the roots of grass, and on
most other vegetable matter. 1t keeps
down innumerable insects that prey upon
the crops. 1t occasionally feeds upon
animal flesh, and when pressed by the
famine of severe winter it takes to
the bark and buds of young trees. In
addition to this hardness it is highly
prolific. Eight young appear at birth
two or three broods are raised in a sea-
son, and the female is full of resource
in saving her young from harm. DC.
casionally they devour one of their OWL
kind; but ordinarily murder and self.
slaughter are barred by strict convention
among the sect, and for all the snakes
and weasels and hawks they manage tc
flourish and multiply. The mouse's pres
ence over the land is something enor
nous. The rambling pedestrian II
crossing field or down will notice thai
hardly single square foot of its SOC
is left untouched by his never-endins
net work of paths and galleries through
the grass. In appearance he is darl
brownish gray with short ears, shor
snout and short legs and short tail
Personally he is good sort of fel
low, an excellent family man, frugal, in
dustrious and careful by tradition. Their
is some intelligence to him, togethe
with reputed sense of humor. Ant
according to his lights he is strict, he il
earnest in his duty to God and man