The Oskaloosa herald., 1912-11-14
KILL TEXAS PESTS
State Works Years to Extermi-
nate Prairie Dog.
Farmers Combining for General Fight
Against erasshoppers, Cotton Boil
Weevii and Other Enemies Of
crops-6ounty for Wolves.

Austin, Tex.-Texas' long tight TO
get rid Of the grass and crop-eating
prairie dog is nearing a successful
anish, according to Ascher G. Smoot
For the last eleven years poisoning
gangs have been going to and fro over
the prairies and farms OF the state,
scattering death dealing wheat and
corn on the mounds that mark the en-
frances to the homes Of the dogs.
The state government has lent ma
tertal aid to the movement and big
tanchmen have spent thousands Of dol.
lars to further 1t. The antiprairie-dog
law passed by the state legislature In
1905 provided for the determination of
the pests within five years, but the
magnitude Of the task made strict
compliance impossible, Mr.. smoot
says. In fact, that provision Of the
statutes which provided for civil suits
and judgments against any land owner
ierelict In dog killing at the expira.
ton Of five years has been seldom In
voked. SO general has been the &C
acknowledgement Of the bigness Of the
undertaking. Mr.. Smoot thinks that
the forthcoming winter will mark the
utter determination Of the little brown
turnover and that next spring will see
Texas free of the dogs for the first
time in her history.
Incidentally he says that most Of the
dog killing outfit owners are prepar.
ing to reorganize their forces and go
into the wolf-killing business after the
coming winters campaign. The wolf
scalp bounty BILL which provides a re-
ward Of ten dollars for every lobo wolf
scalp turned over to the county au.
thorities and half as much for every
coyote scalp will become effective No.
vember ] next, and Mr.. Smoot thinks
that II will have the effect of causing
great slaughter of wolves, which
make ranching business a hazardous
undertaking in the western and south
western parts Of the state.
Fortunes have been made in the dog
killing business In Texas during the
last ten years. according to Mr.. Smoot.
The slaughter OF the little pests, who
peopled the plains In millions. devel-
oped into a fine art early in the war.
Each boss killer has his own methods
Of slaughter and works along his own
original lines.
Some Of them mixed strychn,ne with
dough. Others favored corn as the
bait. Some employed the carbon
method, rolling chunks of burning car.
bon down in the holes to consume the
oxygen breatbed by Mr. Dog and the
members OF his large family. Some
used traps some bullets. A few en-
ployed a combination of all methods
But whatever the methods, the dog
killers work by contracts and main
tain their own individual outfits. The
outfit consists OF chuck wagon for
hauling the bedding, cooking utensils.
groceries, ETC., another for hauling the
poison and supplies and utensils used
In spreading the stuff and a force OF
prisoners.
Having made his contract to clear
stated area-ofttimes thousands OF
: acres-of dogs, the killer moves in
with his outfit and begins work. The
ground is staked of for miles around
the stationary chuck wagon, and to
each member OF the gang is allotted
certain area on which to spread
dogs. This is usually all the ground
that can be covered by one man In a
day.
On the second day a second round
is made and another dose of poison
distributed. A third dose generally
gets every dog that will eat poison.
Then the outfit moves on to new ter
ritory.
Sharpshooters are left behind to
shoot such stray dogs as have escaped
the poisoning gang. These usually
stay on the ground for about three
days. A week later a second hunt is
held on the carcass strewn ground for
tn, benefit o. any survivors. When
this is at an end both contractor and
land owner generally agree that the
dogs have been killed on that par
ticular territory. In some instances
outfits have been kept at work for
more than a year on single ranches.
Encouraged ny tne outCOLne Ol tne
prairie dog war, Mr.. Smoot says that
the ranchmen and farmers are combln-
ing for general fight on crop and
grass pests. Besides the wolf. which
every year kills thousands Of young
calves, sheep and goats. the Texas
| land owners are preparing to adopt
vigorous measures for the extermina-
ton Of the grasshoppers, the cotton
boil weevil and worm and the cattle
screw fly. A fair start has already
been made In the fight against the
boil weeyil and worm and the grass