The San Francisco call., 1908-10-25
GOVERNMENT STAYS
THE PRAIRIE DOGS
Poison Is Being Used to Destroy
Troublesome Little Animals
in the West
Grazing Value of Land Greatly
Diminished by Inroads OF
the Pests

WASHINGTON Oct. 24.-The recent
publication of the work now being done
by the United States forest service in.
the way of killing off the prairie dogs
which are so numerous, not only upon
the national forest areas, but uD6n
practically all the western lands used
for general grazing pufposesA khas
keenly interested the stockmen OF the
states west of the Mississippi in the
regions where the little animals are so
troublesome.
The statement in the bulletin that
the method of preparing the poisoned
wheat and its distribution upon the
ranges would be freely furnished to all
who cared to have it. in order that they
might make use of 1t oFktheir own
lands, has resulted in a regular ava
to the matter. ~
These letters have come from every
part of the United States. OF course
the greater number of them are from
the far western part of the country
where the prairie dog is most numer
Gus, but from Ohio, Illinois, Indiana,
New York, the southern states and
along the Atlantic coast came requests
for the information.
The eastern inquirers desired to use
it for killing off ground squirrels
gophers and field mice, while others
asked if it was possible to kill out
badgers, ehiphlunl1s and rats with the
poison.
To every, request the Washington
office of the forest service has for
warded a copy of the circular explain
ing the preparation and use OF the
poison, together with such other in
formation relative to the particular
use for which it was desired, as the
results so far would indicate its value.
There is little doubt that the
poisoned wheat Will promptly kill any
of the animals named which will eat
it. Dead skunks and badgers have
been found in the prairie dog villages
where poisoned wheat has been scat
tered, while dead squirrels chip
hunks and field mice have also been
Noticed close to the villages, which un-
Adoubtedly were killed by the poison.
The amount of damage done by the
prairie dogs is we'll indicated by the
letters received from the western
stockmen. One man writes from Colo
rado:
''As you wished to know the results
had from the dog poison, would say
the results are very satisfactory. 1t
comes nearer to doing the work than
anything / have ever tried. 1 hope
you will be able to continue this good
work, for you could hardly take up
anything of more Importance to us
ranchmen than this work"
Another says:
The prairie dog poison you fur
nished me cleaned up three good sized
towns and not a sign of life in any of
them today.
Il feel as though that sack of poi
soned wheat will be worth as much
to me as all the grazing fees which l
have paid since the forest was estab-
lished."
The state of Kansas has been carry
ing on warfare against the prairie dog
for the last two or three years and the
sum of 100000 was appropriated by
the Kansas Legislature for the purpose.
The work has been so successful that
today Kansas is practically free from
the pests. The forest service proposes
to clean up the areas inside the ma
tionaI forests, and believes that when
the stockmen see how successful it is
the various states will be induced to
take it UP on the open ranges and thus
sweep them out of existence.
While it is hard to say just what
amount of feed a prairie dog will con-
sumo in the way of grass, it has been
estimated by the United States biolog-
ical survey that 32 prairie dogs will
consume as much grass as one sheep, or
256 dogs as much as one COW.
Based upon an average of % dogs to
the acre, which is considered to he a