Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-03-15
7SMS

,tCopyright, 1898. by John Elfreth Watkins.)
A BOUT S11O,OoOOOo is the annual
IN tribute which Americans are
"a paying to destructive mammals,
~ ~ l was told yesterday by DR.. c.
Hart Merriam, the distinguished
naturalist and author. who for the past
twenty-three years has been chief of the
United States biological survey.
I'm giving these figures F have under
estimated rather than overestmated,
said DIR. Merriam. THE estimates sub
nlitted TO me by my assistants l have
very largely cut down. and they are prob
ably considerably below the facts rather
than above them. In most cases / have
cut them in half.
Which of our mammals are the worst
offenders" I asked.
THE great. bulk OF our mammals are
pests he replied. Except the badgers,
weasels slunks, bats. moles and shrews,
very few are of service 10 man.
Probably the chief offender is the
gopher. The destruction wrought in the
United States by this mammal we esti-
mate at S12.U00,00 a year. The gopher
lives in the cultivated fields of the west,
where it eats alfalfa. tuberous crops and
roots of all sorts, including those OF fruit
trees. In western orchards you will see
fruit trees with leaves suddenly turned
brown, and you Will be surprised TO Ind
that you can tip such trees over with
one hand, because the roots eaten Off
BIZ gophers. Besides the damage done in
these ways gopherS throw out enormous
Quantities of earth, which in the gopher
country covers. on the average about
tr:c-tcGtn of the land. The range of this
mammal Is about 2.oD0.o10 square miles.
l. does great damage to the irrigation
: canals and levees OF the wes,. 1t IS con-
stanty disturbing the irrigation engi-
ncers by throwing earth into the bitches
a::G boring holes INTO the banks of the lev
ers. causing wasAouts ana breaks. err
failing 4 heavy expense for repairs.
we have been experimenting WITH
traps and poisons for this pest. Re
Gently there have been perfected several
simple traps which catch them 81 large
numbers. and We have foupI poisons
wilch can be used with success if intro
duccd into the main suhterranean tulI-
neis Of the animals. Go1Eers make many
lateral burrows which come up from the
main underground tunnels to the sur
face Through these side tunnels they
throw up the earth that makes the gopher
hills. If poisoned bait is put into the
lateral tunnels the gopher viii usually
throw 1t out without finding it, because
he comes To il pushing plug OF earth
ahead of him. We find great difficulty
in teaching the farmers and irrigation
eIper;s that poison for gophers must be
placed well back il. the main tunnels.
Grounds Squirrel Costs Ten Million.
Our ground squirrels do about $10.0Oo-
600 worth OF damage per year and prairie
dogs about 100000 worth. Ground
squirrels inhabit very large areas in the
west Collectively they occupy about
two-thirds the area OF the entire United
States. The state of Washington is now
spending 100000 per year; California.
100000 per year; Idaho. $4,000 per year
a.d Oregon and Nevada each 100000 per
wear in fighting this pest. In Tulare
COUNTY Cal. a few years ago each super
visor was allowed $500 year for ground
squirrel poisons to be distributed In his
district and on "A grain ranch OF 100000
acres in San Joaquin valley $500 was
sDcnt in poisoning the same animals at
a saving of five times that outlay. Some
states supply ground squirrel poison and
distribute 1t to the farmers In Whit
man county. Wash. the loss from these
rodents is said to be half a million dol
lars year
Wolves and Coyotes-$1 900 900.
The wolf problem. TOO. has taken
great deal of our attention in the past
few wears Wolves and coyotes to-
fpether kill about S13OOo,0oo worth of
cat,le sheen. hogs and colts per year
Tn to two years ago efforts to Keep down
wolves and coyotes were very unsuc-
cessful Many states paid bounties and