The Nezperce herald. (Nezperce, Idaho) 1900-1957, 1906-06-21

and one of the rodents should be forth
with dispatched TO Secretary Wilson
He win be glad to get 1T.
OF course, every one knows that the
gopher problem is a serious one In
many parts OF the West, and the rab-
bit pest has at times threatened to
devassate Australia. and even Call
fornia. Altogether the small animals
do q great amount of damage, but
most people do not realize what its
aggregate really is Yet In one cou---
ty of the state of Washington last
year field mice destroyed at least
half a million dollars worth of prop
erty. while in the same time wolves
I'm Wyoming alone mulcted the stock
men OF 100000 worth of cattle.
while the damage from field mice, and
similar little 4svarmints'' throughout
the United States, especially In the
West. and South, amounted to many
millions
TASK OF THE SCIENTISTS
To cope with these pests Is one Of
the most interesting tasks of the
biological survey of the Department Of
Agriculture 1t has been working In
a quiet way for several years, and has
about come to the conclusion that al
though it is possible to trap, poison
and otherwise reduce the pests iE
many instances, the thing that Is
really needed is a contag i0us disease
that can be bottled up In the labor
atory and distributed to do its own
work on an Infinitely more effective
scale than can traps and pois0us-
That there Is some such disease, or
that one can be produced. the scien-
fists of the department do not doubt
The trouble up to date has been
to find IT, The biological servey Is
working In conjunction with the
bureau of animal industry Some
promising leads have been struck, but
none of them have turned out to be
fust what was wanted For Instance,
while they are working With one dis
ease now that is fatal to certain
breed of field mice. 1T win not touch
others, and the rats laugh at 1t IN
conscious immunity Also there are
plenty of contagious animal diseases
that could be turned loose on the rats,
ground squirrels. and rabbits, but as
they would kin horse just as quickly
as they would rat, they are not |
wanted
n
FIND.
some years back the survey lost /
lust the chance II has been looking I
for. Ernest Thompson Seton was p /
In Canada, where there was pest Of /
rabbits, and noticed that they were
rapidly dying out. Some mysterious
disease was carrying them off. and 1t
was not long before the country was
Il <xQ In
hat this disease might prove valuable
and managed to catch some sick rcb-
bits which he shipped to a laboratory
IN New York, but the problem was not
lust In the biologists line. and he did
not realize the immense Importance
Of IT, SO the secret was not grasped.
Now the biological survey II looking
put for similar occurrences, and If the |
offers, will make the most
Df them.
There Is a field mouse disease that
n harmless to domestic animals. and
the survey is trying hard to make II
vfruIenf enough to do business with
some Of the larger pests. 1t promises
well. but the scientists have had too
many disappointments to be Dragging
In advance They are, however, act
18HF tfflUE 10 fsiuiOTtt the uiSsexa7C
and make 1t worse than it has proved
ap to date. This is getting pretty deep |
INTO the network of germoIogy and
.oxlc science. It means really breed
ng up disease germs on somewhat the
same pIap that plants and animals are
now bred by the department. But
here Is hope that they may be able
% do something with it. Anyhow
hey are trying
There has been number OF reports
rom abroad of the wonderful things
oreIgn baeferIoiogists have succeeded
d doing la the line of eontag ious dis
'ases Tor small animal pests. but
houxh cultures have been bought
.brcnd and tried faithfully here, no
e3f11tr hnve ever been obtained. Some
4 nd r4rms have proved fatal to the
sau1nI4 that Ate them. but the same
, ~ n ~ ~ q poison tnat can !