Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1904-03-19
NEW PEST IS FEARED
FIELD MICE MAY BECOME MEN
AcEsTo FARMERS AND
FRUIT GROWERS.
Skin the Bark From Young Trees and
Cause Death Unless Vigorous Action
Is Taken = Eastern Part Of State
Affected. s'

Wapello county farmers and fruit
growers may be called upon to defend
their young trees and shrubs from the
raVages OF field mice, pest which is
| increasing in the eastern counties OF
the state in remarkable manner. In
Des Mo1nes county in which Burlington
is situated, a pest of mice is threaten
ing the destruction of property to an
extent measured by no small portion of
the farmers annual income. Tender
young fruit trees are the object of the
attack of these field rodents. In some
instances the trees have been killed
and in other cases seriously injured.
So far none of the Ottumwa fruit
! growers have been troubled to any
great extent by the pests though sew
eral of whom inquiry were made stat
ed that the ravages from the mice
were greater this year than for some
time in the past.
| In past years the farmers have been
| bothered by rabbits and moles running
their fruit trees. but by painting the
lower portion of the trunk these pests
were driven off. Such steps have no
effect on the mice. They will eat
through the paint in order to get at
the bark. They attack the young
trees near the ground and completely
skin Off the bark to height of from
six to eight inches. Such trees if left
unattended are liable to die. The
farmers have tried many ways to rid
themselves Of the pest but no plan
has been found which has any percep-
tible effect.
One plan of treatment for trees so
damaged, which has been found fair
ly satisfactory by Des Moines county
farmers, is the covering of the injured
portion of the trunk with moist earth.
The growing layer which lies just be-
meath the back will form new bark if
is is kept moist by banking up with
earth for two or three inches above
the girded portion. The earth should
be firmly tramped about the stem and
pains taken to see that it is not sep
aratea by the tree swaying in the
wind.
Another Method.
A.. T. Erwin of the Iowa experiment
station at Ames, gives another effec-
tive method of: treatmen, which is
more trouble, but surer than the one
used by the local farmers. The injur-
ed portion of the tree is wrapped with
broad strips of cloth coated with
grating wax. The wax is made by
boiling together:
parts of rosin,
2 parts of beeswax,
1 part tallow.
To make this work effective, the
wound should. not be allowed to be-
come dried out, and no time should be
lost in covering the girded portion. In
cases where the injury has not been
too severe, this treatment will also
prove effective in saving trees injur-
ed by rabbits.
A plan that is said to protect the
trees from mice is of mounting the
stem with earth for a distance of four
or five inches each fall. The large
number of young fruit trees that are
destroyed by mice might be protected
from injury in this manner. r
One fruit grower, who owns large
farm in Henderson county, stated that
the field mice had ruined the greater
portion of his younger fruit trees Diff
ferent plans were tried to save the
trees but none had proved satisfac-
tory. Statements of the same kind
are being heard over both Henderson
and Des Moines counties. Another
complaint that is beginning to, be
heard, though 1t is Slightly rushing
the season. is that robins are doing an
Unreasonable amount of damage to
strawberry plants. Robins have al
ways been considered a; harmless bird
and for that reason are strongly pro-
tected by law. This places the farm
er who grows that popular fruit at
disadvantage in the protection Of his
nlantc k.e.sttfss, r.