The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1912-02-10
Stockman Especially Are Interested
in the ter---Every Dollar
Spent Returned 10-Fold
AID TO CITIZENS OF COUNTRY
Whole Fear is Because Congress is
Economically Inclined and That
Appropriation Will Be Small
BY GEORGE CLINTON.

BY GEORGE CLINTON.
Observation-Disclosures being eco
nomically inclined this year there IL
some fear among the government
scientists Of the biological survey.
the men who work large part Of tho
time on behalf of the agriculturists
Of the country, that the appropriation
for the survey may not be increased
20 that 1t can keep up with its In
ereasing work. The truth Is that II
the appropriation Is not cut the men,
bsrs Of the survey probably will DO
happy.
Some years ago members OF the
house committee on agriculture
seemed inclined to cut out entirely
the appropriation for the biological
survey. Theodore Roosevelt was pres
ident at that time and his interest In
the survey was we'll known, and 1t
was limited that it was 4 desire Of the
cultural committee to slap Mr.. Roose-
welt that led them to consider cutting
out tho appropriation entirely.
When II was feared that no appro.
priation at all was to be made for tho
survey by the members of the Fifty
ninth congress, news Of the fact that
the department might pass from its
sphere Of usefulness was sent through
tho country by the Washington cor
respondents. The response was In.
slant The mails were loaded with
letters and protests from every state
vey had letters of support. and the
members of congress heard In pro-
test from hundreds of people whom
NO ono supposed from their vocations
in life would take any interest IN
natural history research.
All Glasses Interested.
There were letters by the thou.
sands also from the farmers and the
stock raisers and from the students
Of ornithology and mammalogy who
had benefited by the painstaking work
Of the naturalists whose headquarters
are in Washington, but whose homes,
when it is possible, are in the fields
and tho woods. The weight of pub
lie opinion was felt by congress, and
an interest was aroused among men,
bers who barely knew that there was
such an institution az the biological
survey.
1t might be asked what the biolog
ical survey does to benefit the coun.
try. Instances Of it's service are not
difhcult to find. The stock-raising In
terests Of the western states suffer
losses-or rather have suffered until
recently-to the amount Of about $12,-
100000 yearly through the depreda-
tons Of wild animals-wolves, coyotes
and cougars.
Poison was the instrument en-
ployed to kill the predatory animals.
Strychnine was the means Of death,
and while it costs thousands of dol
lars year, It was by no means efflca-
eious. The stockman complained that
the wolves bred in the forest reserves
and that the governments policy Of
reserves was In a large measure re.
sponsible for tho increase In the
numbers Of tho ravening packs.
This argument was used to com.
bat the forest reserve plan of the
government. Vernon W. Bailey Of
tho biological survey went west and
studied the wolf question. He found
that the wolves did not breed in the
forest reserves in large numbers. He
located their breeding places, and In
his report told the stockmen how to
rid themselves Of the pests without
tho necessity Of resorting to the cost
~ strychnine poisoning process. The
reports show that the wolf work of
tho survey already has saved the
stockmen many times the amount OF
money that the government supplies
yearly for the support Of the survey.
Other Good Work In Hand.
The scientists today are engaged in
the work Of checking the depreciation
Of tho ground squirrels Of the far west
and northwest. The annual damage
that these animals inflict on growing
crops Is estimated at $4,000, 900.
Nearly half 4 million Is spent each
year by the afflicted states in fight.
Ing the pests. The biological survey
Is at work on plan for the extermin.
alton of the squirrels, a plan that
promises success.
Ono of the labors of the scientists
Of the survey has been to show the
different states how the full benefits
Of game protection may be obtained,
and how the game in each state may
be made to yield an important annual
revenue. Illinois alone, as q direct
Jesuit pt Information from the biolog.