The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-06-28
VALUABLE SERVICE RENDERED
BY THE GROUND MOLE.

There arc five recognized groups of
true moles in the United States. Two
OF these are confined to the PaciNc
coast, and three are distributed over
the section east Of the one hundredth
meridian extending from Canada to the
Gulf. There are no moies in the Rocky
Mountain region. The common mole
may be found almost everywhere south
OF the New England States. in New
York. Michigan and central Wisconsin
except in the mountain regions.
Moles are absent altogether from our
arid regions as the ground Is so hard
and dry the greater part Of the year
as to be wholly unsuited to the exist
ence Of earthworms and the various
insect larve upon which the mole de-
ponds for subsistence. The mole Is most
abundant in moist. ricn soils along
I streams. particularly n these situations
are somewhat shady.
The mole Is so seldom SEEN even by
| those who are familiar with its work.
that IL is often confused with other
small animals, particularly tho shrew
and meadow mouse, the pocket gopher
and ordinary house mice 1t is easily
| distinguished from these by its short,
stout front limbs ending in broad,
| rounded hands with palms turned out
ward.
1t has close. plushlike fur, a pointed
snout and short tail. Neither eyes nor
ears are In evidence II not totally
blind. the mole at best can merely dis
tinguish between light and darkness, as
the organs OF sight lie wholly beneath
| the skin.
From an examination Of the stomach
contents Of 200 moles taken in all
months of the year II was found that
earthworms and white grubs constitute
the bulk of the food. Beetles and their
| larve and other insects that enter the
| ground, spiders, centipedes. coccoons
and puparia also form part Of the diet.
| In one stomach were found the re-
mains Of III white grubs. in another
ESQ ant puparia. in another 10 cutworms
and in another IL earthworms. only a
: trace OF vegetable matter was identified
| in a few stomachs.
Complaints of damage or depredations
by moles II carefully investigated would
/ probably show that small rodents which
| sometimes follow in the mo,e's runway
were responsible for the damage to seed
grains and cultivated food products
| that grow underground. The presence
Of moles is usually evidence of a heavy
| infestation OF tho soil by white grubs
| or other insects.
BY its activities the mole CONNIE ds
Itself to the farmer and gardener for
reasons other than that OF its food
| habits. One of the most abundant Of
/ small mammals, for ages II has been
/ working over the soil to the benefit Of
plant life. This tunnelling by the shift
| ing of earth particles permits better
aeration OF the soil and favors tho en-
! trance Of water from the surface. II
| also mixes the soil and subsoil, carrying
| humus further down and bringing the
| subsoil nearer the surface. where It's
elements OF plant food may he made
available.
| After giving the valuable little mole
n character OF this kind, as does Bulletin
$50 OF the Agricultural Department, ono
| naturally expects plea for the protec-
ton of so helpful n friend of the farmer
and gardener, but instead more than 10
per cent OF the space in the bulletin
is devoted to destroying moles. The
concluding paragraph says tho mole
! has a commercial value, as owing 10 tho
gradually decreasing number Of wild
fur bearing animals mole skins have
| found n ready market.
Auction lists show that more than
5000 900 mole skins were sold by furrers
IN London in 1911. 1912 and 1913. Re-
Gently a small lot Of American mole
skins secured by the Biological Survey
was prepared and made up by an expert
furrier, who pronounced them equal to
European skins. II Is astonishing, but
true, that this bulletin says 1t Is likely
that new industry amounting TO many
thousands of dollars annually might be
developed in mole skins in this country
and that the farmer boy may be the
chief beneficiary Of the new industry.
The farmer boy will certainly be the
sole beneficiary from this industry, and
only then In case he goes to the city
as soon as he is old enough to shift for
himself. If he remains on the farm
every dollar received from the sale Of
mole skins will very likely cost him
many dollars. and this hardly seems like
good business or good agriculture.
/ American farmers have killed on or
permitted to be trapped for profit their
best friends, the birds, and have Law
ishly wasted their resources, including
I Btdnu1nR tlII1DtT, ilo" 'iy III "''l
and are compelled to spend large sums
of money annually in correcting condi
tons they themselves made possible ant
encouraged. IL there no punishment
sufficiently severe to teach farmers t.
observe and heed the laws of nature?
Before killing off the moles farmers
may well ask the question, What Them
What will happen when the moles are
| gone? 1t does not take long to COM
pletely exterminate wild animals; for
illustration consider the buffalo or the
wild pigeon. Where there were thou
sands scarcely one Is to be found wild
now.
Be slow to kill off wild animals until
positive they render no service TO man.
kind. After they have been eHtermi-
mated regret will not replace them.
Scarlet trumpet honeysuckle, loni
cera sepervirens. Is native vine OF