Omaha daily bee., 1909-01-11
FIGHTING The FIELD MICE
Biological Survey Makes Report on
Its Work in West.
PRAIRIE DOGS EXPENSIVE PEST
Squirrels and Similar Small
Cattle Destroy Many Dollars
worth of Good Grass In
western states.


agricultural committee OF tne muse OF
representatives has frequently considered
the ACCESSIBILITY OF cutting out all the ap-
prorrations for the maintenance of the
biological survey and two years ago the
appropriation for this service was left out
OF the bill as It was originally reported,
but was subsequently restored. The reason
for this action was that the impression
prevailed among the members Of the COM
mittee that the biological survey was of
very little use and tho basis of this belief
was the fact that the committee had no
knowledge of any valuable result of the
work of the survey This was perhaps due
to the fact that DR.. Merriam, the chief
OF the survey had never appeared before
the committee to explain the scope Of its
work. But few days ago, at the request
of the committee, DIR. Merriam appeared
and told just what had been done, and
is statements when printed, will read
like a novel. He was referring to the in
vestigatons made by the survey on the
subject of predatory mammals, and to say
that he opened the eyes of the members
Of the committee scarcely expresses the
situation as 1t should be.
Prairie Dogs ana other Pests.
There are in Texas 100000 prairie
dogs said DIR. Merriam, land thirty five
prairie dogs eat as much as one sheep and
30 of them eat as much as steer on the
iange. The range grass that is eaten every
year In Texas would support more than
million head of cattle and between five
and six million sheep. The forest service,
following the suggestions of the biological
survey, has destroyed prairie dogs in
Texas at cost of or cents per acre.
There are more than that number of
gTol nd squirrels in California. These
ground squirrels inhabit 100000 acres and
cause a loss annually of more than &c..
100000. Every year $4,000 has been ex-
pended in fighting them in the state of
Washington, and still they arc on the in
crease"
Dr. Merriam continued that in Nevada
there are an average of 12,COO meadow mice
to the acre. He asserted that they had
eaten about $4,000 worth of alfalfa in a
year. 1t is estimated. according to Dr.
Merriam, that the cost hawks, owls,
weasels, skunks and coyotes eat about
5000 of these meadow mice daily, but in
spite of the fact that millions Of them have
been destroyed through the agency of these
| enemies it was necessary to Introduce
| poison to prevent the over running of the
state by these pests. The poison first used
was spread around prcmiscuously. which
resulted in the destruction OF the hawks
| owls. and other aids to the department, but
reoently poisoned alfalfa has been found
effective aud it is believed that tins pest
can be exterminated by this means
what Two Owls DO.
DR.. Merriam told the committee that
there are a pair of little owls over in
| the tower of the Smithsonian institution
which lives and raises it's young every
year feeding its young almost exclu-
| sively on rats and mice He told the COM
mitteo of the investigation which has been
carefully carried on by the survey and
| which has demonstrated that these two
little owls in the short time that they
have inhabited the tower of the insti-
tuition they have destroyed at least 900
mammals, including meadow mice, field
mice, house mice and common rats DR.
Merriam asserted that the investigation
carried on by his bureau show con.
clusively that the average ration of the
hawk and owl of the United States Is
fifteen field mice day.
United states and Roads.
A French engineer who lived in tn,
United States few years ago and who
in the course of his travels in the sprinl
was mired in Virginia made the remari
) that the United States had started tc
develop itself the wrong end to- He OK
planned that he found magnificent rail
; roads all the way from New York to Cal
ifornia. but that wherever he had gon,
he discovered that the highways ovei
which wagons were driven were the wors
he had ever seen in his life
Wher Secretary Seward negotiated Tn,
purchase of Alaska forty years ago ther,
Q a
territory. and il was not until ten year.
ago that anybody connected with the fed
eral administration cared scent piec,
whether there were ever a trail in tn,
territory But the discovery of gold Il
the Dawson region and later in the Cop
per river country and around Nome sen
Thousands of pioneers TO Alaska and sool
there was a demand for means of trans
portation Several short railroads hav
been built and hundreds of miles of tele
graph have been constructed, but, abov
all. trails and roads have been cut in al
directions from the coast.
Built by an Army Man.
l This work has been accomplished b
2 Major w. p. Richardson of the Unite
= states army who was assigned to thi
duty several years ago, Major Richard
. son went into the "frozen north" and n
t has built better roads. in many instance.
than are GO be found in most OF the olde
states, and ne has made II possible 70
the pack animal and the dog team I
reach practically every point of the grea
e territory. He has done his work so we
that every Alaskan swears by him, an
not only that, but he has so cinched hi
own reputation that whenever he come
$ out" in the winter he is greeted by Mi
= associates in the army and by everyou
O who knows Alaska the greatest benz
J. factor OF that vast territory. Congress
= regards Major Richardson as an expel
; on Alaska affairs and he is in consequence
+ consulted on practically everything a.
. fecting the territory. He certainly ha
shown that the training of an army off
- Ger is of inestimable value to a new couI
. try, and the Alaskans of today owe
:, Major w. p. Richardson more than TO an
other one man the fact that they al
able to travel from point to point in the
territory with far more ease than SCENE
/ possible ten years ago.