Lawrence democrat. (Lawrenceburg, Tenn.) 1884-1925, 1912-10-23
State Works Years to Extermi,
nate Prairie Dog.
Farmers Combining for General Fight
Against erasshoppers, Cotton Boil
Weevll and other Enemies Of
Crops-Bounty for Wolves.

Austin. Tex.-Texas' long fight to
get rid OF the grass and crop-eating
prairie dog is nearing a successful
finish. 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
terlal aid to the movement and big
ranchmen have spent thousands Of dol
lars to further It. The anti.pralrie-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
derelict 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 wolfkilling 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
a 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 MIR. Smoot
The slaughter Of the little pests, who
peopled the plains in millions, devel
oped into fine ert early in the war
Each boss killer has his own methods
of slaughter and works along his owr
original lines.
Some of them mixed strychnine witt
dough Others favored corn as the
bait. Some employed the carbon
method, rolling chunks of burning car
bon down in the holes to consume thu
oxygen breathed by Mr.. Dog and thu
members Of his large family. SOM
used traps. some bullets, A few EN-
pioyed combination of all methods.
But whatever the methods, the dol
killers work by contracts and main
tain their own Individual outfits. TIL
outfit consists of chuck wagon TO
hauling the bedding, cooking utensils
groceries. etc. another for hauling tn
poison and supplies and utensils use
in spreading the stuff and a force @
prisoners.
Having made his contract to clear
stated area-ofttimes thousands G
acres-of dogs, the killer moves i
with his outfit and begins work TIL
ground is staked off for miles aroun
the stationary chuck wagon, and t
each member of the gang is allotte
a certain area on which to sprea
poison or distribute carbon to kill tn
dogs. This is usually all the groun
that can be covered by one man in
day.
On the second day second roun
Is made and another dose of poiso
distributed. A third dose general
gets every dog that will eat poisol
Then the outfit moves on to new te
ritory.
Sharpshooters are left behind
shoot such stray dogs as have escape
u Nhe poisoning gang. These usual
fltay on the ground for about thre
lays. A week later second hunt
held on the carcass strewn ground fl
y III, benefit OF any survivors. Whe
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