Arizona republican., 1910-01-26
CAMPAIGN AGAINST
 THE GOPHER PEST
Concerted Movement of inc RecIama ton Service and Farmers to
 Destroy Public Enemy

One of the most irritating pests the farmers and water administra-
 tors of this or any other irrigated country have to contend with is the gopher In addition to the crop de- stroying effects where gophere are numerous, there is in an irrigated country the further nuisance of the continuous tapping of ditches by these little rodents. making holes that sometimes develop into big breaks. But fortunately it is an evil that can be overcome with proper CO., operation on the part of all concern ed, and the campaign to that end is already opening up. The matter was taken up officially by Engineer Reed, who is in charge of the water administration here, with the reclama tion bureau and at the request of the
 director the agricultural department sent Dr. A. K. Fisher here to make an examination. Dr. Fisher is mem
 Der of the biological survey of that department and is it's most eminent authority on the habits of all burrOw-
 ing animals. After a careful exam
 nation of conditions here, Dr. Fisher
 recommended number of methods of
 gopher extermination, including the
 use of certain gopher traps as one of the most efficient.
 Thereupon Mir Reed sent circular letters and circulars from the agricul-
 tural department to many farmers and others in the valley. asking them to cooperate in waging war upon the gophers. A supply of traps was se
 cured for the use of the Zanjeros and ditch foremen and they have been in- structed in their use. and further in
 structed quite emphatically that they are for use and not for ornament. The local hardware dealers have been requested to lay in a supply of traps and it is believed they will do so and be ready in a very short time, to supply all formers who desire to help in the good work. It would seem that only the thoughtless farm CT would refuse to do his part in the war of extermination. With co-op
 eration by traps. poison or other methods the gopher population of the valley should be practically exter
 minated in a short time.
 f Responsive to the circular letters, MT. hteQ HAS TtCtlNtu lfOlll 1h
 Yaple. a we'll known farmer. an in teresting letter containing some sug- gestions that appear to be worth while. He congratulates the service on it's efforts to annihilate the go- phere and says that he would rec ommend that MT. Reed name certain date and call it gopher day" urg- ing all the farmers to prepare them selves in advance and on that date turn out with the largest possible force. with traps, poison, bullets or whatever method the farmer chooses to employ, kin every gopher that can be found and then maintain the war fare continuously until the pest is eradicated.
 Respecting poisons. he says sweet potatoes cut in small thin slices and treated with a very small amount or .strychnine. when placed in the run ways have been found to be very eff fective. Another plan that he has known to work successfully in Mis- souri was to offer a bounty of ten cents per scalp for the gophers. which would stimulate the small boys to get busy with their .22 rifles. He says the gophers can easily be caught at work between daylight and sunrise and by shooting into the burrow where the dirt is seen to he moving one seldom fails to find the proper target. However, gunning for gophers has it's objectionable features for if the sport is engaged in to the limit of shooting all the gophers in the valley, bullets would be pretty thick and the bounty bill excessive But the cooperation with trap and poison ought to be sufficiently effec- tive and not very expensive. It IS little use for the occasional Farmer to fight them alone, but if all work together the campaign. it is believed would be pleasingly successful.