Norwich bulletin., 1915-06-17
County Improvement League Data
BY County Agent F. c. WARNER

|
ant problem.
1t can safely be assumed that the
| average boy leaves school at Is years
| of age. From the best information
available the average farmer does not
| start farming on his own account I'M
| til he is somewhere between rs and
| 80 years Of age. In other words, there
| is period of the farmers life, when
| he is between 18 and 80 years of age,
when ne is not working on his own
| farm nor is he his own master. 1t
would seem that wherever the home
project method has been introduced
an effort should be made to follow up
| the boy and, if possible arrange in
| some way so that he continues his
| home-project work and gradually be-
| comes a partner with his father in
| the farm business. This feature
should be part of the extension work
of the agricultural instructor, if,
through the school the farmers could
| be made to take an interest in the agri-
| cultural training of the boy and they
| could be established in a, partnership
relation, the shifting-tenant problem
would be partially solved.
Meadow Mice.
| In North America there are few
wide areas except arid deserts free.
| from meadow mice and in most of
the United States they have at times
been numerous and harmful. The
animals are very prolific, breeding
! several times a season and producing
! filters of from 6 to 10. Under favor
ing circumstances. they sometimes
| produce abnoTmally and become
menace to all growing crops. The
| runs of meadow mice are mainly on
! the surface of the ground under grass,
| leaves, weeds, brush, boards, snow,
! or other sheltering litter. They are
followed out by the animals claws,
| and worn hard and smooth by being
| frequently traversed. They are, ex-
tensive. much branched, and may
| readily be found by parting the grass
! or removing the litter. The runs lead
to shallow burrows where large nests
| of dead grass furnish winter retreats
for the mice. Summer nests are
| large balls of the same material hid
den in the grass and often elevated
on small hummockS in the meadows
and marshes where the animals
abound. The young are brought
forth in either underground or surface
| nests.
Meadow mice are injurious to most
crops. They destroy grass in mead
ows and pastures; cut down grain,
clover, and alfalfa; eat grain LEFT
standing in shocks; injure seeds,
bulbs, flowers, and garden vegetables;
and are especially harmful to trees
and shruDbery. The extent of their
to their numbers.
When present even in ordinary
numbers meadow mice cause serious
injury to Orchards and Nurseries.
Their attacks on trees are often made
in winter under cover of snow, but
they may occur at any season under
shelter of growing vegetation or dry
litter. The animals have been known
almost totally to destroy large nurs-
cries of young apple trees. 1t was
stated that during the winter of 1912
nursery-men near Rochester, N. Y,
sustained losses from these mice
amounting to fully 100000.
Older orchard trees sometimes are
killed by meadow mice; The list of
cultivated trees and shrubs injured
by these animals includes nearly all
those grown by the horticulturist.
The injury to trees and shrubs con-
sistS in the destruction of the bark
Just at the surface of the ground and
above or below. When the girdling is
complete and the cambium entirely
eaten through, the action of sun and
wind soon completes the destruction
of the tree. If the injury is not too
extensive prompt covering of the
wounds will usually save the tree. In
any case of girdling heaping up fresh
soil about the trunk so as to cover
the wounds and prevent evaporation
is recommended as the simplest rem
I edy. To save large and valuable trees
bridge grating may be employed.
If mice are present in small num-
.bers, as is often the case in lawns,
sgardens, or seed beds, they may readi-
, ly be caught in strong mouse traps of
the guillotine type. These should be
baited with oatmeal or other grain, or
may be set in the mouse runs without
bait.
Trapping has special advantages for
small areas where a limited number
of mice are present, but it is also
adapted to large areas whenever 1t is
undesirable to lay out poison.
Meadow mice are the prey of many
Of mammals, birds, and reptiles,
Among the MAMMALIAN enemies OF
meadow mice are foxes, badgers. rae
coons weasels, skunks, and tbs
| domestic cat and dog.
Among birds. their enemies include
nearly all the hawks and owls, cranes
: cuckoos, gulls, and crows. Among
their reptilian foes are black snakes
and bull snakes. Not ell these des-
, troyers of mice are more beneficial
, than harmful, but the majority are
and warfare against them should be
, limited to the minority that are more
Il naxi0laS. tRaza asafs3