The Leavenworth echo. [volume] (Leavenworth, Wash.) 1904-current, 1909-08-13
THE SCOURGt OF FIELD MICE
In Nevada the Little Rodents Deoimated the
Alfalfa and Other Crops Until
Killed by Poison

OF local interest is an article in the
Technical World Magazine for July, by
Harry H. Dunn, concerning the almost
incalculable damage done by myriads
Of field mice in Nevada. OF local in
terest because complaint has first been
made the past winter Of the ravages OF
the little rodents in the Cascade or
chards and other parts Of Western
Washington. In order to meet the
situation and be prepared to prevent
a similar scourge in this state, farmers
and orchardists are recommended to
try the poison route for mice.
In part Mr.. Dunn's article follows:
Fifteen thousand acres of alfalfa in
the Humboldt valley, Nevada, totally
destroyed, causing known loss Of
$500, 000-this is the result of the first
great mouse plague in the United
States.
A few days of hard thinking, follow
ing few days Of expert investigation,
both carried on by men of the Biolog-
ical Survey OF the United States govern
ment; the application Of few thousand
pounds Of alfalfa hay soaked in poison
solution, and the plague Of rodents was
conquered, the farmers taught how TO
meet repetitions of the invasion, and
the farms successfully insured against
what appeared at first to be an uncon-
querable foe.
Beyond this, the doctrine of protec-
ton to hawks, owls, ravens, crows,
shrikes, and other rodent-eating birds,
as well as weasels, skunks, foxes, coy
otes, badgers and wild cats, all OF
which prey on mice, was thoroughly
instilled into the minds of ranchmen.
In May, 1907, fields on the Rogers
ranch were invaded from less cultivated
lands. The movement Of this great
body of mice was gradual, not like the
settling down of an immense fight of
locusts. By fall of the same year large
part of the cultivated lands around
Lovelocks had been overrun by mice.
The yield of hay in this brief period
was reduced one-third; potatoes and
root crops were largely destroyed; many
alfalfa fields were ruined by the mice
changing their attacks from the green
tops of the earlier part of the season to
the roots, and the destruction OF this
latter was threatened.
In November it was estimated each
acre Of the infested district contained
5000 to $4,000 mice. Great cracks,
as from a giant earthquake, appeared
throughout the ranches; the fields were
riddled by the mouths OF the tiny TO-
dents burrows, which in many cases
averaged $50 to the square rod. Ditch
entertainments were mere sleeves, irriga-
ton was tied up where not ruined, and
the scene on the erstwhile prosperous
ranches was one Of devastation.
But the worst was not yet. Burrow-
ing down about the plants and extend
ing their runways from root to root, the
mice either killed or seriously injured
the alfalfa. Soon they destroyed so
much of the acreage that thousands OF
acres were plowed up.
In the orchards the rodents adopted
similar tactics, going down to the roots
of fruit trees and destroying acres of
promising trees. Most of the young
shade trees planted along roads and IL
rigating canals met the same fate.
By the spring Of 1908 the mice had
made such a clean sweep OF the fields
and orchards about Lovelocks that they
moved on down the valley. During the
spring they attacked every available
food supply, willow and even grease
wood bushes out on the desert failing
to escape their sharp teeth.
In Humboldt valley no concerted
action was taken against the plague in
the early stages because the ranchers
did not realize the extent to which II
would grow, and later its size overawed
them. Sporadic attempts were made
to kill off the mice by poisoned wheat,
made deadly with solutions OF phos-
phorous. This method was found to
give poor results, as the fields so cleared
were quickly reinvaded from neighbor-
ing acreage, and no concerted effort
was made to put out the poison all
over the valley.
More than this, it was found while
the preparation, which consisted Of a
strong solution OF phosphorus in car
bon bisulphide, was cheap and effect
i've poison for the mice in limited areas,
il was inhammable, explosive, and dan
gerous to birds. California quail were
all but wiped out; magpies, crows,
meadow larks, and other highly beneh-
cial birds, were sadly decimated. The
birds of prey, which killed thousands OF
the mice, were not affected, but many
skunks and domestic cats were found
dead as a result Of eating mice which
had been killed by the poisoned grain.
In addition, several accidents occurred
-, ~ raeult nj handling the