The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1905-10-11

is becoming rare Coyotes breed once
year Their mating season is late
in January or early in February. The
young range in number from four to a
dozen. The coyote eats both animal
and vegetable food. They are great
pilferers of watermelons in Oklahoma,
always choosing a ripe melon
Practically the only benefit derived
from coyotes by the farmer in Okla
homa is their destruction of rabbits,
which they pursue and devour when
carriOn is scarce or food more easily
obtained cannot be found. The big
jack rabbit for a short distance is
swifter than coyote, but lacks endur-
ance. Professor Lantz says that while
a single coyote would not be able to
run down jack rabbit, but hunting
together, taking advantage of the tend
ency of the hare to run in a circle,
they are able to capture it, Eyewit-
nesses to such performance state
that they fight over the division of the
rabbits carcass, but that all obtain a
share.
Professor Lantz was especially in
terested in providing at reasonable
cost a coyote proof woven wire fence
for the protection of domestic animals
While at Chattanooga he conducted
number of experiments in the big pas
ture," where President Roosevelt hunt
ed last spring, to test the ability OF
coyotes to escape from Enclosures He
had particularly in view the protection
of sheep, having been told that in the
sheep country in the southwest the an
nual losses from wild animals amount
ed to 20 per cent Of the flock. In the
more thickly settled western states the
loss is about per cent.
A long lane was first built. with
sides seven feet high, made with poul-
try netting of small mesh. Fourteen
cross fences of heights from thirty to
SiXty-siX inches and Of various designs
were built at intervals along the lane
They were arranged SO that the coy
otes, introduced at one end of the lane,
should have presented to them gradual
ly increasing difficulty in passing the
fences. Two coyotes were released sin
gly into the lane, and their progress
and methods of passing the cross
fences We're carefully noted
The coyotes ran with their noses
close to the ground and seemed to have
no knowledge OF jumping Neither Of
them succeeded in getting over a fence
more than thirty-siX inches in height.
The method was one of climbing. as
sisted by the hind feet rather than Of
jumping All attempts to pass the OBJ
structions began with efforts to get the
muzzle through openings. If the entire
head could be thrust through and there
was room enough for the shoulders to
spread out literally the whole wolf
was able to follow Both went through
rectangular openings by u inches
and ) by inches, but the larger ami
NAL failed to pass Il mesh by & inch
es. The smaller animal went through
an opening by L inches and another
by 6 inches Had these openings
been triangular in form the animal
could not have passed through
Professor Lantz believes that fence
constructed of woven wire with a tri-
angular mesh not more than six inches
across and of a height of twenty eight
to forty eight inches, supplemented by
two or three tightly stretched barbed
wires. would prove to be coyote proof.
Using the best materials, such a fence
would cost about 5000 a mile.