The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1911-03-15
SHORT TAILED
SQUIRREL PEST
Director Of Experiment Station
Says Animals Are Exceed
ingly Destructive.
SUGGESTS FORMULA FOR
MIXTURE OF P0IS0NS
DR.. Ball Points Out Necessity
for Prompt Action by Dry
Farmers.

Declaring war on the short-tailed
squirrels that work havoc with the
| crops in the dry farming territory, DR..
l.. d. Ball, director of the experiment
station at Logan, has issued circular
giving directions on the best manner
in which TO go about exterminating the
pests. He calls special attention to the
need of early action and shows how
these animals are a menace TO the
proper development of this industry.
His formulas are said TO do the work
where tried and if followed as directed
farmers can soon rid the land of the
little enemies to tner crops. What DR.,
Ball has to say on the subject follows:
There was an immense amount OF dam
age done TO grain and crops on the dry
farms OF this state last year by the
short tailed squirrels. ground dogs.
AT the time that the damage was be-
ing done. numerous inquiries came in as
TO methods of destroying this pest At
that season Of the year. however, when
food is abundant, 1t is difficult to do
ed were advised to wait until spring and
then take up the warfare against these
pests AS soon as the snow is OF the
ground In the spring the squirrels ap-
pear and begin to prepare their nests for
the raising of large brood of young.
AL this time food Is scarce and poison
grain is readily eaten.
Gives Effective Formula.
There is no time to DC lost now. how
ever. and anyone who has suffered any
loss In the past from these pests should
proceed at once TO prepare the following
mixture and apply II thoroughly:
Strychnine sulphate ..............1 ounce
Water Observation-Disclosures. pints
Cracked wheat or barley. ........5 bushel
Dissolve the strychnIne in boiling wa
ter then stir In the grain stirring thor
oughly until all OF the grain has been
equally dampened and all the water alb
sorbed. Then prepare the following mix
ture:
Flour ....s.,............... pounds
Sugar '.......s,........,... pounds
Sprinkle the damp grain with this.
coated with the flour. This will serve
to hide The bitter taste OF the strych-
nine. sugar-coated pill as 1t were. This
miXturc should DC distributed I'm
teaspoonfu or more IN a place IN the
holes and runways OF the squirrels. great
care being taken 10 find every live" hole
and see that the occupants get their share
Of the poisoned grain.
Second Poisoning.
After waiting week or more or un-
I'll after a storm. so over the ground
again and poison each freshly opened
hole a second time. Thoroughness In
these two applications is the secret OF
success One hole missed will mean a
whole brood left TO start n colony for the
next year.
In some places the dogs seem to crave
food that is sailed. and the best success
has been obtained by saIting the poison
bait. II would be well 10 salt n portion
Of the mixture and try IL along with -the |
other and see which gives the best re-
suits The salt car be added TO the
lour and sugar and stirred in with il or
a small part of the mixture can he sepa-
rated after the flour has been stirred in
and two or three times as much salt |
as would he used In the kitchen stirred |
in. Do not taste of this mixture to
see whether IL is salty enough You
might find ont. but would not live TO
tell i; TO anyone else.
Expense Is Slight.
The best time to apply this mixture
is in the morning of warm, dry day. |
and the grain should be placed on dry
ground. Otherwise tho moisture will !
tend TO remove the sugar coating. The |
cost Of an application Of this kind is |
trifling compared with the results OBJ !
tanned, The squirrels can be killed at
an expense of only n few cents an acre
Under ordinary conditions, and even II lt |
is necessary TO treat several hundred |
acres. the cost Will he small as COM |
pared with the saving of the crops.
In conclusion IL should he remembered |
that there IS little use In using the |
any community or individual that is plan !
ming TO fight the pests this year by this |
method should he ready az once and |
poison the dogs soon after they appear |
In the spring. pair killed al this time |
will prevent a whole brood of them from
injurng crops at harvest time.