Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-04-18
SEEKING 4 DISEASE
Unusual Longing Of Govern
ment Scientists.
WAR ON SMALL ANIMALS
Great Damage Caused by Field Mice,
Rats and Other "Varmints."
INCREASE IN THE WOLVES
Live OF the Great Herds of the West
and Find Refuge in the
Forest Reserves
INCREASE IN THE WOLVES

Any one who can contribute fatally
sick rat. mouse rabbit to the Depart
ment of Agriculture may unwittingly con-
fer benefit of millions of dollars an
nually this country What the de-
partment wants is a fatal and con-
tagious malady, and 1t is working hard to
get one now. But up to date the work is
merely promising. There has not been any
satisfactory result to record. So II any one
has hutch of rabbits swept off by q sud
den and mysterious disease, or If he notices
any swift and sudden mortality among
the rats and mice in his locality. that may
be the very thing the department is looking
for.
OF course. every one knows that the
gopher problem is a serious one in many
parts of the west. and the rabbit pest has
at times threatened to devastate Australia
Altogether the small animals do a great
amount of damage, but most people do no.
realize how great the aggregate of this
damage really is. Yet In one county of the
state of Washington last year field mice did
damage estimated at half million dollars.
In the same time wolves in Wyoming alone
mulcted the stockmen of $10OO,OOo worth OF
cattle. while the damage from field mice,
field rats, ground squirrels. pocket gophers
and similar little ''varmints' 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 sur
vey of the Department of Agriculture. 1t
has been at the problem In quiet way for
several years, and 1t has about come to the
conclusion that although 1t Is possible to
trap. poison and otherwise reduce the pests
in many instances. the thing that is really
needed is a contagious disease that can be
hot Ipd. IN ha la ~ n
to do its own work on an infinitely more eff
fective scale than can traps and poisons.
That there is some such disease or that
one can be produced. the scientists of the
department do not doubt. The trouble up
to date has been to find it. The biological
survey has been working in conjunction
with the bureau of animal industry, and
there have been some promising leads
struck, but none of them have turned out to
be Just what was wanted. For instance.
they are working with one disease now that
is fatal to certain breed of field mice.
But it will not touch others, and the rats
laugh at it in conscious immunity. Also
there are plenty of contagious animal dis
eases that could be turned loose on the rats,
ground squirrels and rabbits, but they would
kill horse just quickly as they would a
rat, so they are not wanted.
Ernest Seton Thompson's Find.
1t was some years back that the survey
lost just the chance it has been looking for.
Ernest Seton Thompson was up in Canada.
where there was pest of rabbits. Then
he noticed that the rabbits were rapidly
dying out. There some mysterious dis
ease carrying them off, and it was not long
before the country was almost cleared OF
them He realized that the disease might
prove valuable and managed &c catch some
sick rabbits and shipped them to a labora-
tory in New York, but the problem was
not just in the biologists line, and he did
not realize the immense Importance of 1t.
so the secret was not grasped. Now the
biological survey is looking out for similar
occurrences, and If the chance offers will
make the most OF them.
There is a field mouse disease that is
harmless to domestic animals and the sur
vey is trying hard TO make it viruieat
enough to do business with some of the
larger pests 1t promises well, but the sci
entists have had too many disappointments
to be Dragging in advance. But they are
actually trying to reinforce the disease and
make it worse than it has proved up to
date This Is getting pretty deep into the
network of germology and toxic science
1t means really breeding up disease germs
IN somewhat the same plan that plants
and animals are now bred by the depart
ment. But there is hope that they may
be able to do something with 1t. Anyhow
they trying.
There have teen a number Of reports
from abroad of the wonderful things for
eign psychologists have succeeded IN do
ing in the conta gious diseases line for small
animal pests. but though cultures have
been bought abroad and tried faithfully
here no results have ever been obtained.
Some of the germs have proved fatal to
the animals that ate them, but the same
Is true of any sort of poison that can be
bought by the pound and spread on bread.
The contag:on quality has not developed
vet in any of the foreign cultures tried.
The Rabbit Pest.
The biological survey has been able to do
a good deal In a practical way with the
rabbit pest Some time ago the forest serv-
ice set up a howl of indignation. 1t had
pIanted some hundred of thousands young
trees. nursery stock, in one of the Cali
fornia forest reserves. and the. rabbits ate
them up in about week. Then 1t seed
ed several hundred acres with white pine
seed to restore the land after fire. and
the rabbits cheerfully set to work dug up
Ali the seeds and ate them. Rut the
biologists were loaded for rabbit, SO to
sneak. and they furnished the forest peo-
nile with harmless wash to soak their
pine nuts in before planting. and with
rheap din for the nursery stock which
seIf-respecting rabbit will no more nibble
than will an ordinary human being smell
hisulphide of carbon for a perfume.
In this the biologists confessedly took