The Ontario Argus. (Ontario, Or.) 1???-1947, 1914-02-12
RECIPE FOR PO|S-
ON|NC JACK RABBITS
A Preparation that is Said
to Be Quite a Success in
Eliminating These Long,
Eared Pests.
January 80, 1914.

January 80, 1914.
Mr.. e. c. Van Petten,
Ontario, Oregon.
Dear. Sir:
Your letter of January 20, relative
to the destructiveness of jack rabbits
and asking for information on meth
DDS of destroying them, has been re-
ferred to this bureau for attention.
The experiments in Australia,
which gave rise to the generol belief
that method of spreading disease
among rabbits has been discovered,
proved n failure, and at present no
such method is practiced. There are
but two courses to pursue in dealing
with the rabbits If the community
is sufficiently populous to make
drives over considerable areas of
country, /. G., to surround a section
or two and gradually drive the ami
mails into a rabbit proof enclosure,
this is commendable method though
too expensive II II is necessary to
hire help.
In southern Idaho, where. under
the stress of winter conditions. rab-
bits have flocked TO hay stacks and
to cultivated fields, we have found
poisoning the most practical method
of destroying them. We recommend
the general use of poisoned oats, un-
der the direction of competent man
in each district. We have found the
county authorities willing to assist
to the extent of supplying strychnine
for the work. The most effectual poi
son Is as follows:
Dissolve one once OF strychnlne (al-
kaloid) In l pint OF hot water contain
ing Ia pint Of vinegar, mix . table
spoonfuls Of ordinary gloss starch In
half cup of cold water and add to
the boiling strychnIne solution 10
make a thin mucilage. Now dissolve
ounce OF bl-carbonate OF soda In
half cup OF hot water. add TO the
poisoned starch. and stir well. Add
is ounce OF saccharine and mix the
poison preparation with 10 quarts OF
oats. Allow 10 stand twenty-four TO
forty-eight hours, mixing occasionally
When nearly dry, stir In about qts
of clean oats.
Each quart OF the poisoned grain IS
sufficient for about thirty bats. This
amount should be scattered slightly
on clean surfaces about the hay stack
along rabbit trails. or about the bor-
ders OF fields. Stock or sheep neel
not be In the least en- langered. II
ordinary care is exercised in placing
the poison. Valuable doks might pos
sibly be poisoned by eating a num-
Der Of stomachs OF poisoned rabbits
but, OF course, IL is possible to muzzle
such dogs or 10 keep them at home,
We suggest, as The most practical
means for reducing the rabbits, that
the residents in each district organ
ize for general poisoning. and procure
strychnine and grain. Poisoning is
quite effective under any conditions,
but the plan should be such that full
advantage can be taken of any severe
weather, particularly when snow Is
on the ground, since the rabbits are
then driven to the stacks and culti-
waited fields in great numbers.
We consider ii advisable to have
all the poison prepared by one man,
who should also be responsible for
storing II and distributing II TO the
ranchmen with full direction for us
ing II and caution as to its deafness,
Isolated attempts TO poison, by
ranchmen here and there, will amount
TO practically nothing, and the meth
cd is commendable only If it can be
put into general use. The organized
campaigns in Idaho have not pro-
gressed far enough to conclude as TO
the success or failure OF reducing the
rabbits sufficiently to prevent damage
in spring. In all tests by our field
men, however so many rabbits have
been killed. that II is plain that vast
numbers of them can be destroyed
under organized effort.
Very truly yours,
S. f. PIPER,
Aaaigtapt