The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1907-12-27
MEADOW NICE ONE OF THE
MENACES TO AGRICULTURE
Their Destructive Habits and Their
Natural Enemies-By D. E. Lantz,
Asst. Biologist, Biological
Survey.

In recent years the department OF
agriculture has frequently received
complaints of damages to meadows
and pastures by field mice. The com
mon meadow mouse "a. pennsylvania
Gus and its various subspecies) is nsu'
ally the offender in these cases. al
though the prairie meadow mouse ON,
austerus) also causes considerable
loss in the west. Both these mice work
under the snow in winter, burrowing
along the tops OF the succulent roots
of clover and other plants, and some
times destroy entire meadows, which
have to be plowed up and resolved.
Such damage usually occurs where
thick growth of grass is left In the
field in fall. Closely moved or closely
pastured fields are not usually badly
injured by mice.
The meadow mice are destructive to
market garden. T'ra' berry fields are
especially Liable to attack, because OF
the mulch used to protect the plants
and because of the animals fondness
for the succulent crowns OF the
plants themselves. These mice de-
stroy seeds in the garden, hotbed, or
cold-frame, potatoes in the ground,
and many other growing vegetables
In the fall they destroy beets,
turnips, carrots, parsnips, celery, ap-
pies and potatoes, when piled on the
ground or stored in pits. The depre-
dations may to great extent be pre-
vented by the careful burning OF
weeds and other trash which harbor
the pests.
The destrr rtion of corn and wheat
in the shock by meadow mice Is
common, and growing crops--wheat,
oats, barley, rye, and buckwheat--are
often cut down and eaten. The dam
age to standing grain is most notice.
able when it is nearly ripe, but fully
matured grain also Is eaten. Short
pieces OF the stems of grains and
grasses scattered along the runways
of the animals are conclusive evil
dences Of the nature of their diet. In
alfalfa and clover fields considerable
loss is frequently caused by meadow
mice. The ground Is often Uttered
with leaves cut from the plants.
Stomach examinations of dozen
specimens Of Microtus austerus cap
tured in alfalfa fields during the sum
mer of 1905 showed that their diet
was almost exclusively leaves Of al
falfa. When field mice occur in
normal numbers, the losses are not
serious: but when local conditions
have favored an abnormal increase
!, of the animals, the loss OF crops Is
enormous.
Meadow mice have been known to
almost wholly destroy large nurseries
of young apple trees. 1t was estimat'
ed that the losses sustained by nur-
serymen near Rochester N. Y, during
the winter of 1902 amounted to $780,
600. The animals usually inflict the
damage by burrowing under the snow
and girdling the tree just at the
surface of the ground. Some species
burrow below ground, and, like the
pocket gopher, eat the roots Of trees,
thus completing their destruction.
In some cases older trees are at.
tackled and ruined. The writer has
seen many apple trees, eight to ten
years transplanted, and to 6 inches
in diameter, completely girdled by
the prairie meadow mouse (M. aus
terus), sometimes to the height Of q
J foot or more above the ground.
J The list of cultivated trees and
shrubs that are injured by these mice
includes nearly all of those grown by
the horticulturist The biological sur
vey has received complaints Of the
destruction Of apple, pear, peach,
plum, ounce, cherry, and crab-apple
trees; Of blackberry bushes, and OF
grape vines; also Of the injury OF
sugar maple. black locust, Usage or
ange, sassafras, pine, alder, white
ash, mountain ash, oak, cottonwood
willow, wild cherry, and other forest
trees.
One of the chief causes Of the re.
cent great increase of the smaller
rodent pests ia the persistent de-
struction of the birds, mammals, and
reptiles that habitually prey upon
! them. This is true not only in
America, but also in Great Britain and
on the continent, where for years
gamekeepers and even farmers have
: destroyed foxes, weasels, stoats
: hawks and owls whenever possible on
J. the plea that they prey upon and di
minish the supply OF game In the
: parks and preserves In America the
= same opinion Is widespread, and has
= led to some unfortunate Legislation
against species that are wholly bene
:. fetal to agriculture. In tie investi
= cations before the British board o.
agriculture relative to the vole plague
in Scotland in 1892, the testimony
= as to previous scarcity Of carnivor
= Gus mammals and birds, in the dis
= tricts affected was almost unanimous
= While the committee in its report re
: garded climatic conditions, not the
: scarcity of carnivorous birds ant
= mammals, as the primary cause o.
- Iho ,ufk,nob thdy conuidaroJ tho 1at